New Recruits
by Jubes2681
Summary: AU Comicbased...Logan's a teacher for one of the new group of students at Xavier's...RoLo...Chapter 16 is up!
1. Default Chapter

A/N: This is something I started a long time ago and I just opened up the file today. I thought I would post a little something up while I tried to work on my other story, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. I put that on hold since my friend was in the ICU at the hospital, but it looks like he'll be there for the next month or so. I can't just sit around and mope, so I'm going to try to write some more. Let me know what you think of this – I have another 2 or 3 chapters worth of writing done with this story that I'll post if you guys like it.

Disclaimer: Do I look like Stan Lee? Last time I checked, I was a 22-yr old chick, so I still don't own the X-Men. Don't sue me for taking them out to play for a little bit. Justin, Elizabeth, Kyoko, Galiana and Shawn are all mine, so please don't use them without asking…not that anyone would use them, but I wanted to feel special.  ;) 

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Chapter 1: The New Kids

Logan stood in the center of the Danger Room with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes glanced at the clock below the control booth and noticed the class was supposed to start in five minutes. He was wearing black, white and green winter camouflage pants with black combat boots. He had a tight, black t-shirt on and his head was covered with his usual messy mop of black hair. Just as he began to get impatient, the main doors swished open and a young teenaged boy walked in. He was clearly impressed by the size of the room but he walked with an uncertainty, Logan noted. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the doors slid shut behind him.

            "Am…am I in the right place?" He asked nervously. The boy ran his fingers through his blond hair, trying to hide the shaking in his hands.

            "Yeah, Justin, ya found the right place." Logan replied, his voice echoing in the room.

            "Oh good." Justin answered.

            "C'mon over and sit down." Logan called over. "The others will be here any minute."

            "Ok, Mr. Logan." Justin nodded but was afraid to ask any more questions. Logan made him nervous, especially after the stunt at the airport, and he didn't want to make him annoyed or angry by asking questions. 

            Justin quickly made his way towards Logan. As he sat down a few feet from Logan, the doors opened again with a slight whoosh of air. Two teenaged girls looked around in awe and then began walking towards them. The first girl jumped when the doors closed but the other girl didn't seem to notice. The first girl was older and had light brown curly hair that fell to her shoulders. She was also covered from head-to-toe in a thin layer of leopard-print fur. Her eyes were green cat's eyes and she had noticeably longer canine teeth. Logan noticed her pink painted nails looked rather sharp and absently wondered if she knew they were claws. He could tell that she had well-toned muscles under her sweat suit and noticed a long tail swaying between her knees. The other girl, who was much shorter than her companion, was Japanese and had very long straight black hair. She had brown eyes and looked like a 'normal' person. Logan's breath nearly caught in his throat when she looked up at him as she walked towards them. He had seen her picture, but he didn't realize how different it would be in person. This girl was the spitting image of his beloved Mariko and his heart felt like it stopped for a moment.

            "Elizabeth Garner and Kyoko Osamu?" Logan asked, quickly recovering his senses.

            "Yes, sir." Elizabeth replied.

            Kyoko nodded her head and quickly sat down, her attention fully on Logan. The three teenagers sat next to one another and Justin and Elizabeth looked around the room some more. Logan noticed Justin's shocked expression as Elizabeth sat near him and could smell fear from the teenager. As Justin shifted nervously, Elizabeth smiled at him, her canines making it look more threatening than friendly. Justin smiled weakly in return and then quickly looked at the ceiling. With a slight sigh, Logan looked up at the clock and frowned. It was time to start and he was short two students. 

            "Since yer all on time, I guess you should get gold stars or somethin', right?" Logan said to the three kids in front of him. Justin didn't know how to respond so he didn't and Elizabeth cracked a smile. Kyoko looked to Elizabeth and then back at Logan, a small smile forming. Logan turned to pick up a clipboard and the students continued to sit in silence. Logan had a feeling this was going to be a long day if these kids didn't even talk to each other about the damned size of the room. As he turned, he glanced at the clock once more. His missing students were now two minutes late. He sighed.

            "Looks like we're waitin' on Shawn McCormack and Galiana Maeder." Logan said, more to himself than the students. As if on cue, the large doors slid open to reveal his two missing students. "You two are late."

            "We got lost." Shawn replied. Galiana nodded her head in agreement as they hurried towards them.

            "You've been here fer a week now." Logan countered. " 'Lost' ain't an acceptable excuse."

            Shawn simply nodded and held back his sarcastic comment. He had heard that Mr. Logan wasn't the type of person you pissed off, so he kept his remarks to himself…for the moment. He had decided he would try to size up Mr. Logan before he began running at the mouth.

            "Now that yer all here, siddown fer a few minutes so I can go over a few things." 

            Shawn and Galiana sat next to their classmates and they all turned their eyes to Logan.

            "As you may or may not know, the name's Logan." He began. "I'll be yer instructor fer the rest of the year for your Danger Room sessions. Did you kids get the schematics book?"

            The five students nodded.

            "Good. Learn everything in that book. Think of it as yer Bible and this is yer new church." Logan paused as they quickly looked around at the metal walls. "This room can kill you if yer not careful, so you'll be responsible fer reading the first three chapters of that book by Monday."

            "But that's almost one hundred pages!" Justin said.

            "What's yer point?" Logan asked. "This is a school and I aim to teach you everything possible about this room. This ain't some social gathering of mutants, so get used to the work.

            "Now, before we start anythin', I guess you should know what I can do." Logan held up his fist and three foot-long metal claws sprang out with a snikt!. They all gasped as they watched his cuts bleed for only mere seconds before they began healing. 

            "What yer lookin' at is a mutant healing factor. It starts with the worst injuries and works its way down, so to speak." His claws slid back into his arm and he pointed to the disappearing holes. "It keeps me from bleedin' t'death every time I pop those suckers out."

            "Are they steel?" Galiana asked.

            "Nah. My bones are covered with adamantium." He replied. "Ask Dr. McCoy about that in yer science class. I'm sure he's got bucket loads of information on it.

            "I've also got enhanced senses, so I'll be able to hear everything you say no matter where you are in this room, so don't be smart asses." He said.

            "With that outta the way, I suppose yer curious about what exactly this room is used for." Logan began. "This here is the best training facility in the world. It's got alien technology and is unlike anythin' you've ever seen before. If I catch any of you in here alone, you'll be packing yer bags, got it? As far as you five are concerned, you ain't ever gonna step foot in here without my say-so. Yer only gonna use this room under my direct supervision, got it?"

            "Yes, Mr. Logan." Justin replied and the others nodded. 

            "Good." Logan nodded his head, satisfied. 

            "Mr. Logan?" Elizabeth raised her hand.

            "Yeah?"

            "What are we going to be doing here exactly?" She asked, confusion thick in her scent.

            "Yer gonna use this room as yer training room so ya can learn hands-on about yer mutation and about yer classmate's mutations. This is where you can use yer powers without havin' to worry about breakin' things or freakin' people out." Logan replied. "I'm gonna teach you how to use yer powers and eventually how to work together as a team. I'll be showin' ya how t'fight and how t'survive. Think of me as yer drill sergeant, but instead of runnin' around in a line like a buncha crazy people, I'm gonna have you goin' through strengthening and precision exercises. What I say goes so I don't wanna hear any complaints." 

            The five teenagers nodded their heads and glanced at each other, worried expressions on their faces. Logan smiled inwardly. 

            "Look at your classmates." He started. "From now on, they're yer teammates. It's important t'make that distinction. In here, you depend on each other fer everything. While it's important t'make other friends, I want ya t'know each other inside and out. I don't want any surprises and I sure as hell don't want surprises that can end up hurtin' any of ya. Ya might not like each other, but that doesn't matter inside this room. Ya can hate each other's guts in the hallways fer all I care but in here ya look out fer each other like family. Otherwise, yer never gonna learn anythin' about yourselves."

            "What about you?" Elizabeth asked.

            "Same goes fer me." He said plainly. "I got all of yer files and yer all gonna have copies of each other's files in the morning, includin' mine. If ya got any ghosts, we'll all know about 'em by tomorrow, so don't worry about it. Some of the other teachers might do things differently, but I ain't concerned with them. This is how it's gonna go in this group and that's final, got it?"

            "Yes, sir." Justin replied. The others seemed to mumble their replies, but Logan ignored that for now.

            "Now how's about we start our first day off with some basic introductions?" Logan suggested. When they nodded, he smiled slightly. "Good. Computer, run program: Logan 830A."

            "Voice command accepted. Program: Logan 830A…running." A feminine computer voice replied from everywhere and nowhere at once.

            The room suddenly changed. The students jumped up in surprise and suddenly they were standing on the bank of a river in the Canadian Rockies. They could feel the crunch of the sand under their sneakers and they could smell fresh pine. The water even looked real. In the distance, they could hear birds singing. It was mid-afternoon, according to the location of the sun, and it would be setting in a few hours. Some logs were set up in a circle around a fire pit and Logan was already walking towards them as his students stood together in awe.

            "It's so real!" Shawn exclaimed.

            "It even smells real!" Elizabeth added, taking a deep breath.

            "It looks like it goes on forever." Justin said, pointing towards the mountains.

            Kyoko didn't say anything and just continued to stare at her surroundings, obviously impressed.

            "Wunderbar." Galiana said in a hushed tone. 

            "C'mon over here." Logan called over as he made himself comfortable on a log. 

            They walked over together, somewhat slowly, as they continued to look around.      A minute or two later, they were all sitting around the empty fire pit.

            "How can this be so…so real?" Shawn asked.

            "Like I said, alien technology." Logan replied, a hint of amusement on his face. "This is an interactive hologram of sorts. You could go swimmin' in that water or cut down that tree over there."

            "Amazing." Kyoko finally said.

            "Alright, let's start things off with some basic introductions and tell us what yer power is while yer at it. Shawn, ya wanna start us off here?" 

            "Sure." He replied. "I'm Shawn McCormack and I'm sixteen. I used to play football but I had to drop out when the school found out I was a mutant. I'm from Payson, Arizona and I can change my body into a whole lot of different things."

            "Cool." Justin commented. Shawn grinned and his hand morphed into a tentacle and then went back to normal.

            "That's so cool." Elizabeth agreed. Kyoko's eyes went a little wider and Galiana smiled.

            "Justin, ya wanna go next?" Logan asked.

            "Yeah, um, ok." Justin said. "My name's Justin Lewiston and I'm only fifteen, but I'll be sixteen in like four months. I grew up in Crystal Beach, Florida and I'm pretty good at sailing. Um, I guess the best way to say what I do is that I can make electricity jump from my fingers."

            Following Shawn's lead, Justin held up his hands in front of his face and held them about six inches apart. He closed his eyes and suddenly bright white lines of electrical energy jumped between his fingers and began to swirl around his hands. As he opened his eyes, the energy dissipated and he smiled, satisfied with his control.

            Again, his teammates exchanged exclamations of "that's awesome" and "cool". Justin grinned, happy to be accepted by his classmates. Even Kyoko said how interesting his power was.

            "Galiana?" Logan asked, looking to her to go next. She nodded with a smile that seemed to light up the whole room.

            "Ja." She said. "My name is Galiana Maeder and I'm seventeen. Oh and I'm from München, Germany. Or do you call it Munich?"

            "Munich." Logan said with a lop-sided grin. He remembered Kurt having to ask that about most of the German cities when he first joined the team.

            "Ok, then I am from Munich." Galiana said, still smiling radiantly. "I'm extremely strong and I can fly. Miss Summers said I'm also telepathic, but I haven't noticed anything like that."

            "That's 'Mrs. Grey-Summers'." Logan off-handedly corrected. "She might get a tad upset if she heard ya call her 'Miss'."

            They seemed to find this amusing and a few of them laughed.

            "Galiana, you can fly?" Justin asked. "That has to be the coolest power."

            "Ja, it's wunderbar." She replied, her cheeks blushing slightly.

            "Ok, how's about Elizabeth?" Logan said, looking to the leopard-like girl.

            "Well, my mutation is pretty obvious." She began, humor in her voice. "But my name's Elizabeth Gardner and I'm eighteen years old. I grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, which means you'll probably think that I have a wicked bad accent. Um, besides how I look, I'm pretty fast and I can hear, smell and see things really well, too. Probably heightened senses?" She asked, looking to Logan.

            "Yeah, that's what it's called." He assured her.

            "When did you get your, um, fur?" Shawn asked.

            "When I was sixteen." She replied, smiling. "And lemme tell you, the folks were not as impressed as I was!"

            She chuckled with her teammates and Logan smiled. So far, so good.

            "Kyoko? Looks like you're the only one left." Logan said.

            "Hai." She replied. "My name is Kyoko Osamu and I'm from Lake Toya-ko in Hokkaido, Japan. I'm sixteen and I can create teleportation spheres."

            "What's that mean?" Justin asked, confused.

            Kyoko tried to hide her smile as she picked up a rock. She tossed it up in the air as her hands began glowing with an intense purple energy. As the rock went up, she threw a glob of the purple energy at it. It was enveloped and then it seemed to 'pop!' out of existence. She quickly pointed to the river as the purple blob reappeared and broke, dropping the rock into the water. 

            "Oh my god, that's wicked cool." Elizabeth said, shock evident in her voice.

            "That's some good control ya got there." Logan commented. 

            "Thank you, Sensei Logan." She replied, bowing her head slightly.

            Logan nodded towards her, slightly shocked to be called 'sensei'. Granted, it only made sense since it meant teacher, but Logan wasn't expecting it.

            "Ok, now that we've got some names, it's time to try a little teamwork exercise." Logan announced. "I know I said we weren't gonna focus on that until later, but it can't hurt to give it a shot right now. That sun's gonna be setting in an hour and thirty minutes. If this were real, then you would need firewood and shelter. So let's pretend you're stuck out here in the middle of nowhere and you need to work together to survive. I'm gonna go up to the control booth and monitor you guys. You have 90 minutes to find enough firewood to last the night and some decent shelter. Food probably isn't a bad idea, either."

            The five of them looked at him like he was crazy.

            "The longer you stare at me, the more time you waste." He added as he walked away. "I know this ain't real, but you've all played pretend before, so get to it."

            They heard the swish of the doors and looked at each other.

            "Um, is it just me, or is this guy nuts?" Shawn asked.

            "Crazy or not, we better get to work." Elizabeth said, standing.

            "Are you serious?" Shawn asked, surprised. "You're actually gonna do what he says?"

            "Yeah, I am." She replied, looking down at him. "If I were you, I'd get off my ass and help."

            Kyoko stood and nodded her head in agreement.

            "I don't want to see what Sensei Logan can do with those claws, do you?" She asked.

            "Ok, so what do we need to get first?" Justin asked.

            "I can't believe you guys!" Shawn exclaimed. 

            "If you're not going to help, then leave." Galiana said. "I am here to get an education. If Mr. Logan is our instructor, then I, for one, plan to listen to him. I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

            She stood next to the other girls and Justin followed her lead. Shawn looked at them, angry at being the only one who thought the exercise was stupid.

            "Ok, Galiana and Kyoko, why don't you try to find some shelter?" Elizabeth began. "Justin, try to find some firewood and some pine needles for a fire starter."

            "Ok!" Galiana answered happily and looked to Kyoko, who also nodded. They quickly disappeared into the woods and Justin soon followed them.

            "Look, Shawn, if you aren't going to help me find some food, then stop wasting all of our time and get out." Elizabeth said from over her shoulder. With a cat-like stretch, Elizabeth crouched down and looked at him, waiting for a response. Meanwhile, her body seemed to change before his eyes. Instead of long, human legs, her legs had become more compact and she looked more like a cat than before.

            "I'll help Justin." He finally said as he walked towards the woods.

            "Great." Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She then took off in a fast sprint and was one the other side of the river in seconds.

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So, what did you think?? Please R&R!!

~*PAF*~  
Jubes


	2. Getting to Know You

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, folks! Here's the next installment…please R&R!!

Disclaimer: Same old shit, different day

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Chapter 2: Getting to Know You…

Four hours later, Logan was watching the 'class' videos again to go over any details he may have missed earlier. He was pleased with the results, despite Shawn's constant complaining. They had done very well and had finished in just under an hour. He dismissed them and told them to meet in the Weight Room at seven in the morning. With the expected groans, he grinned as they all left to change for dinner. 

                Elizabeth had been excellent at taking control, but he wasn't pointing out any 'leader' just yet. He had to wait a few weeks before their real power training began and he had to see how well she handled instruction in hunting. While she had done well in the exercise, he still had to teach her how to track people instead of a few rabbits. 

                Galiana had done well and seemed to follow orders without any problems. She and Kyoko had found an empty cave not far from the river. She had to use her strength to move a boulder and seemed to have somewhat decent control. Granted, she nearly tossed it on Kyoko when she moved it, but luckily Kyoko had jumped out of the way.

Kyoko's small leap showed Logan more than he expected. She definitely had some martial arts training and it hadn't been mentioned in her file. He made a mental note to investigate the issue later that night. Otherwise, she had done well in helping Galiana find the cave. She was extremely quiet and that could be a problem, especially with the "bonding games" the teachers all had planned for tomorrow night.

Justin was eager to please but didn't know how to control his powers very well. It had taken a lot out of him to control those small sparks today and it showed. He had become very tired very quickly after carrying a few armloads of wood to the fire pit. But it said something that he was trying.

Shawn was another problem altogether. Logan had been reminded of Jubilee at first, but realized he was angrier. Jean said he was a latent low-level empath or telepath, which may have an affect on his attitude. Of course, omnimorphs often have attitude problems due to the level of concentration it can take to keep their 'normal' form. If only Mystique were around to ask, Logan mused.

By the smell of things, dinner was being served and Logan decided it was time for a break. His group was the only one that had used the Danger Room that day, so he knew he would have the control booth to himself later to finish up his analysis.

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"So, what d'you think of Mr. Logan?" 

                "I'm not sure, Liz. He seems kind of, well, uptight, I guess." Galiana replied.

                "Yeah, no shit." 

                "No one asked you, Shawn."

                "Whatever, Galiana."

                "What d'you think, Justin?"

                "I think he's a nice guy." He replied. "He and Mrs. Summers picked me up from the airport when I got here. He let Mrs. Summers do most of the talking, but he didn't seem too bad to me."

                "Oh just admit that he's a jackass."

                "Shawn, grow up."

                "Why, Liz? What d'you think of him?"

                "I guess he's ok." She replied. "He's just strict."

                "He has to be strict. He's a _samurai_." Kyoko piped in.

                The other four looked at their teammate like she was crazy. They were all lounging in the study hall in the first floor of the girls' dorm and it was nearly midnight. Elizabeth had suggested they hang out tonight to get to know each other a little bit better and they'd been there for over two hours now. It was the first time Kyoko spoke.

                "What?!" Galiana and Shawn said in unison.

                "Sensei Logan is a _samurai_." She repeated. "It's in his file." She held up a thick manila envelope that made their files seem like a menu for pizza take-out. 

                "Holy shit." Elizabeth said, taking the file from Kyoko's hand. "This thing is like a Steven King novel!"

                "More like 'War and Peace'." Shawn commented, leaning over her shoulder to look at it.

                "Did he say when we had to read those by?" Justin asked.

                "Nope. But I don't think I'll finish this for days!" Elizabeth said, flipping through the pages.

                "There are some horrible things in there." Kyoko said. 

                "Have you finished it?" Shawn asked.

                "Almost." She replied. "I have about ten more pages to go."

                Again, her teammates stared at her in disbelief.

                "How on earth did you read that between dinner and now?!" Justin asked, almost choking on his coke.

                "I'm a speed reader."

                "Riiiiiight." Shawn mocked. "More like a major ass-kisser."

                Kyoko shot him a dirty look.

                "Forgive me for trying to learn about my team." She shot back.

                "Oooo! What a come back!" He teased.

                "It horrifies me that we are the same age, _baka yaroo_." She said, looking down at another file in her lap.         

                "Baka yahru?" Shawn repeated. "What the hell does that mean?"

                Kyoko simply flipped the page and continued to read.

                "I'm talkin' to you!" He shouted, angry. "Hey, you dumb Asian bitch, answer me when I'm talkin' to you!"

                "_Mocca-Mocca Su Su!_" She replied angrily, standing up. She looked at her other teammates and bowed her head slightly. "Goodnight. I'll see you at seven." 

                "G'night, Kyoko." Elizabeth replied as the Japanese girl took Logan's file and walked out of the room.

                "Mocha mocha what?!" Shawn shouted after her. 

                "Oh will you calm down already?" Elizabeth hissed. "You're going to wake everyone else up!"

                "Oh like I care." He grunted.

                "Maybe you should just leave." Galiana said, angry. 

                "Make me." He challenged.

                "A-hem."

                The four teenagers looked up at the door to find Logan standing there with his arms crossed. Needless to say, he did not look pleased to see them.

                "I already know why Kyoko just stormed off so don't even try to give me some bullshit reason. But it's twelve-thirty and that means you're all in deep shit with me." He stated, clearly angry with them. "In case ya forgot, inter-visitation ends at eleven, so you two boys best be moving back to your own dorm. Ya want to hang out after hours, then do it in the common areas of the Recreation House. But you loudmouths aren't supposed to hang out in the dorms coz you'll wake up yer classmates. Which, I might add, ya just did a great job of, Shawn."

                "Sorry, Mr. Logan." Justin said after a pause as he gathered his things.

                "Just get going." Logan pointed to the door and Justin quickly walked by him with his head down. Shawn continued to sit on the ground, staring at Logan. Logan gave him a death glare that caused Shawn's heart rate to increase, but he still didn't move. Elizabeth and Galiana looked from Logan to Shawn and back to Logan, waiting.

                Instead of saying another word, Logan quickly crossed the room and picked Shawn up by his shirt. Gulping, Shawn still remained silent and expected Logan to hit him. Instead, he tossed the teenager over his shoulder and stormed out of the room. Elizabeth and Galiana quickly followed him outside.

                "Hey! Put me down, old man!" Shawn shouted as he was carried down the hall. "Put me down!"

                "Quit yer yappin'." Logan ordered. 

                Surprisingly enough, Shawn did just that. As they reached the outdoors, Logan tossed Shawn onto the ground, hard. He landed on his side and scraped his face.

                "Now listen up coz I'm not one t'repeat myself." Logan growled. "The next time I hear ya say anythin' like that again to anyone here, we're gonna have _private_ words, you hear me? I ain't gonna tolerate anythin' like that again!"

Shawn nodded, slowly standing up.

"And when I tell ya t'do something, ya better damn well listen. Next time ya just stare at me, you'll be washing dishes and pullin' monitor duty with Bishop fer the rest of the semester. Is that clear enough fer you to get through yer thick skull? Or do you need me to talk slower?"

                "N-no, sir." Shawn replied, rubbing his ribcage.

                "Good. Now get back to yer dorm and I don't wanna hear a single word from yer mouth until seven am." Logan said, pointing to the boys' dorm.

                Shawn simply nodded and began walking towards the dorm. Logan sighed and turned to face Elizabeth and Galiana.

                "Sorry about that, girls." He said in a hushed tone. "Why don't you two get up to bed while I go and check on Kyoko?"

                "Sure thing, Mr. Logan." Liz replied and pulled Galiana behind her. Logan looked up and noticed he had a bit of an audience. With a wave of his hand, the faces all disappeared from the windows and the lights were soon turned off.

                Logan quickly tracked Kyoko to her room and gently knocked on her door. After a quiet 'come in', Logan turned the knob to find Kyoko wiping her eye with a tissue. She was kneeling on a red mat in front of a small Buddha statue.

                "Hey, Kyoko." Logan said. She looked up, startled to see Logan at her door instead of one of the girls.

                "Sensei." She greeted, quickly trying to hide her tears.

                "Mind if I come in?"

                "No, of course not, Sensei." She replied. She was about to stand but he knelt next to her instead. 

                "I'm sorry ya had t'go through that." Logan began. 

                "It's not your fault." She replied, wiping at her eye again.

                Logan nodded and gently wiped a tear as it fell down her cheek.

                "If he says anything t'you again, you come and tell me, got it?" He said quietly.

                "Hai." She nodded, smiling slightly.

                "Good. Now why don't you try t'get some sleep, darlin'?" He said, leaning back. "You've gotta be up and ready in under seven hours."

                "Soon, Sensei." Kyoko replied, glancing at Buddha.

                Logan looked at the small statue and nodded his head slightly.

                "I'll getcha some nice joss sticks fer this." Logan said as he stood.

                "You…you have joss sticks?" She asked, surprised.

                Logan looked down at Kyoko and was again reminded of Mariko. If Logan didn't know any better, he would say that Kyoko was her daughter. The resemblance was unbelievable.

                "I've lit joss sticks every day since my fiancée died." He replied, his voice low. "Her name was Mariko Yashida."

                "I know." Kyoko seemed to whisper. "I've read most of your file."

                Logan nodded. "Glad t'see someone's doing their homework." He muttered.

                "You have a wedding band." Kyoko said, pointing to the platinum band on his left hand.

                "I've recently married since then." He replied. "It was nearly five years ago now."

                Kyoko nodded and turned to look at the statue briefly. She was about to ask another question but, as she turned to face Logan, he was gone and the door was closed.

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So, what did you think of this chapter?? Please let me know!!  
  


~*PAF*~  
Jubes


	3. A Brief Interlude

A/N: I'm such an idiot – I totally forgot to tell you what I changed in Chapter 2!! In Chapter 2, I changed how much of Logan's file Kyoko had read and changed the dialogue a little at the end between them to reflect the fact that she had read most of his file. 

Ok, as with this chapter, it's very short, but I wanted to place a small interlude to clarify who Logan was married to and such. I'll be posting the next chapter soon, which is a much more normal length!

Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine…duh…

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Chapter 3: A brief interlude…__

Logan walked into the loft of the mansion minutes later. He and Ororo had shared the loft for nearly a year now and it felt like home more so than anywhere else. His corner of the loft held various Japanese decorations while the rest of the loft was filled with the plants Ororo loved. When she had insisted that he take more space, Logan had laughed, telling her he wouldn't be able to fill it. Besides, he had added, where would she put all of her flowers if half of the loft were taken up with his junk?

Logan smiled at the memory as he walked into the loft quietly and made his way towards the second set of stairs that led to the platform that held their bed. As he passed Ororo's vanity, he noticed that he looked tired and…old, in a weird way. While his body and face looked like he was thirty, his mind was much older. Whenever he thought of Mariko and other loves that he had lost, he seemed to age. 

Logan walked up the stairs and stood by his side of their bed in the darkness. The loft was empty. Ororo had gone to Japan to visit Yukio and wouldn't be home for a few more days. He thought it was strange that she would leave during such an important week, but 'Ro had said Yukio needed her help. Jean had taken over her class for the week despite having her own students to deal with. Logan ran a hand over his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Why he hadn't been asked to tag along to Japan, he wasn't sure. Knowing Yukio, she wasn't in trouble at all and just wanted to party with his wife, who also happened to be one of her best friends. 

                With a heavy sigh, Logan began to undress and crawled into bed. Of all the nights he could remember, this was probably one of the top five nights when he needed Ororo to be next to him. His hand fell on her pillow and he inhaled her stale scent. If only he could run his hands through her soft hair and pull her close to him. She always managed to keep the nightmares away. Tonight would be a rough one and Logan knew it. But he also knew it would be worse in the morning if he stayed up all night. He needed to be as rested and as alert as possible for the kids. 

                The kids…Logan's mind drifted slightly, forgetting his empty bed for a moment. Shawn was a problem. Logan only knew one way to deal with him and he knew he would eventually need to ask his teammates for their advice. Kids like Shawn don't back down for long. At least the majority of his kids were well behaved. And he knew Kyoko wouldn't say anything if Shawn insulted her again. He sighed. He had forgotten how easily teenagers could create headaches. The New Mutants hadn't been any different. Neither had Generation X. The more things change, the more they stay the same, he mused. 

Logan glanced at Ororo's pillow again and sighed. With a heavy heart, Logan ran his hand over Ororo's pillow again. After pulling her pillow next to him, Logan's eyes closed and the nightmares descending upon his mind.

*              *              *

  
Again, sorry for how incredibly short this is…but please let me know what you think anyways!!  ;)

~*PAF*~

Jubes


	4. An Electric Personality

A/N: Thanks for all the kind reviews! I honestly didn't think people would like this…proves me wrong! Well, here's the next chapter and, as promised, it's longer!

Disclaimer: yadda, yadda, yadda…

*              *              *

Chapter 4: An Electric Personality

Seven in the morning rolled in quickly and Logan was standing with Rogue in the Weight Room. The students hadn't arrived yet, but Logan expected as much. He wasn't sure if they had been showed the Weight Room during orientation or not.

                He looked tired and slightly haggard, Rogue noted. She knew better than to ask when his students would be arriving any minute, but she was concerned. Cracking her knuckles, Rogue knew her worries would have to wait until later. 

                "So, sugah, how's this bunch?" Rogue asked, stretching her arms over her head.

                "They're kids." Logan replied, a grin tugging at his mouth. "We got one smart-ass, but the others seem t'be good kids."

                "Only one? Yoah lucky." She commented. "Ah got me a few of those."

                "I might, but only one's been brave enough to say anything." Logan said, humor in his voice.

                "Gee, Ah cain't imagine why they'd be scared o'you." Rogue said, rolling her eyes.

                The door opened then and four of the five walked in. Elizabeth and Galiana were chatting together while Justin was trying to keep up with the conversation. Kyoko seemed to be listening to their conversation while she read her book. Shawn was not among them.

                "Welcome to yer first session of Strength and Muscle Training." Logan greeted. "This here is Miss Rogue and she'll be helping out as an extra set of hands."

                "Howdy, y'all." She smiled. Justin seemed to blush and the girls all smiled in return.

                Logan passed out notebooks to them with their names printed on the cover.

                "Now, here are your personal workout books." Logan began. "They're designed for you in mind so ya can't swap 'em. There's a list of daily exercises for the first month. After that, we'll reassess and see if any changes need t'be made."

                The team flipped through the pages and they exchanged somewhat worried glances.

                "Each morning, you'll be in here for an hour and a half before your first class." He continued. "By the end of the week, another ten students will be working out in here with you. I expect you all to play nice with 'em.

"Now, pick a partner t'be yer spot. Oh and Galiana, Rogue here is gonna be your partner due to your increased strength." 

"Ok." She replied with a smile. 

"Hi, sugah." Rogue grinned. "Let's get t'work."

Half an hour passed before Shawn sauntered into the room. Logan was spotting Justin when he caught the other boy's scent.

"Justin, take a five minute break." Logan instructed. "Drink some water and stretch your arms out, ok?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Logan." Justin replied, all too happy for the break.

"Shawn, so nice of you t'join us." Logan said, walking over to the teen.

"I got lost." He lied.

"No use in lyin' t'me, boy." Logan said. "Now, get over t'the track over there and get started."

"Started on what?" 

Logan's hairs stood on end and knew Shawn was challenging him.

"The ten miles of runnin' ya just signed yerself up for." Logan replied, his voice even. "Next time yer late, I'll make it fifteen."

"Ten miles?! You're crazy!"

                "Yup." Logan said. "Now, you've got a lot of laps t'finish before ya even start yer workout. I know fer a fact ya don't have class until ten-thirty, so yer ass is mine until then. Get going."

                Anger gleaming in his eyes, Shawn walked towards the track.

                "Asshole." He muttered under his breath.

                "Watch your mouth." Logan called after him. 

                "My my my." Rogue commented, raising an eyebrow at Logan. "Isn't he just the little charmer!"

                Logan gave her the 'not now I'm not in the mood' look and she merely shrugged. His 'looks' stopped affecting her years ago. The girls exchanged curious glances but didn't say anything.

                "Ah can always have a little chat with him if he's all riled up." She continued, a mischievous grin on her face.

                "And let you take away all of my fun?" Logan retorted. Elizabeth and Galiana laughed. Kyoko smiled while she rolled her eyes and Justin grinned.

                "Now, where were we, Justin?"

                Justin let out a short sigh and pointed to the bench press.

                "I was just finishing my second set."

                "One more t'go then." Logan said, a hint of a smile on his face. Justin nodded and lied down on the bench. He lifted the bar and waited for Logan to stand behind the bar before he brought it down.

                As he was pushing the bar up, the room suddenly burst into white light. Justin screamed out in pain. Rogue's head whipped around to see Logan's body convulsing and Justin surrounded by an electrical field. Logan's hands were on the bar, along with Justin's, and they were surrounded by white energy.

                "Logan!" Rogue called as she flew towards him.

                "Oh my god!" Liz exclaimed, dropping a dumbbell. 

                "Someone get Dr. McCoy!" Rogue shouted as she pried Logan's hands from the metal bar. He fell on the ground in a smoking heap and Justin kept screaming in pain. Rogue's hands were smoking from the heat, but it didn't matter to her. She barely felt it through her skin. She grabbed the bar from his hands and had to pull forcefully to get it free. Again, her hands seemed to be on fire but she ignored the smoke. His electric current didn't seem to pass through her, she noted, but that was another matter entirely. Justin rolled off the bench and fell onto the floor. Rogue knelt beside him, concerned.

                "Justin, calm down!" She said, tossing the heavy bar aside like it was paper. Rogue quickly looked to the other teens and noticed they hadn't moved. "You! Elizabeth, go get McCoy! _Now!_" She ordered.

                Liz nodded her head and ran out of the room at her top speed.

                Justin continued screaming and writhing in pain on the ground. He was still surrounded in white light and Rogue had to shield her eyes. With a deep sigh, Rogue removed one of her burnt gloves and reached out to touch his forehead. His force field bulked up and blasted her hand.

                "Yow!" Rogue fell back and looked at her singed hand. 

                "Help him!" Shawn called out, running over from the track.

                Determined, Rogue reached out again. This time, she placed her gloved hand on his stomach and then quickly pushed her naked hand onto his face. The hand on his stomach diverted enough of his energy and she was able to make contact for the briefest of moments. But it was enough to knock him unconscious and he powered down.

                "Lordy." Rogue muttered, shaking her head slightly. She grabbed her glove and looked to Logan. "Logan, ya big lug, y'all bettah be fine! Ah don't wanna haveta explain this t'yoah wife!"

                She quickly rolled him on his back and opened one of his eyes while checking for a pulse. She found a very weak one and noticed his eyes had rolled back into his head. Just as she muttered a curse, Hank came bounding towards them. Elizabeth joined her worried teammates as they watched the adults.

                "Rogue, what happened?" Hank calmly asked as he checked on Justin.

                "Ah don't know. Justin's power flared up foah no reason!" She replied, holding Logan's head in her lap. "Ah touched him to knock him out, but he should be ok soon. Ah only touched him foah two or three seconds."

                Hank nodded his head and listened to Justin's heart. After checking his pulse and pupils, Hank determined Justin was going to be just fine.

                "Galiana, would you be so kind as to take Justin down to the Med Lab and lay him on one of the empty beds?" Hank called over.

                "Ja. Is he ok?" She asked, running over.

                "Oh, yes, he'll be perfectly fine." Hank assured her. "Now be careful when you walk through doorways."

                "Of course." Galiana replied. She easily picked up Justin's unconscious body and carefully carried him from the room. 

                Hank took one look at Logan and sighed. This was the second time in three weeks that Justin had accidentally electrocuted Wolverine. The first was when Logan and Jean had picked Justin up at JFK airport. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to have them paired as student and teacher.

                "Rogue, get him down to the Med Lab." Hank said, rising. 

                "Sure thang." Rogue replied, easily picking up Logan. Careful to avoid his flesh with her bare hand, she quickly flew from the weight room and Henry turned to face Elizabeth, Shawn and Kyoko.

                "Alright, kids, class is over for today." Hank said. "You'll have the afternoon off, too."

                "Is Mr. Logan going to be ok?" Kyoko asked.

                "Oh, of course." The doctor replied smiling. "He's taken worse hits from his wife, I assure you."

                They smiled slightly, but Hank could tell they were confused. Apparently, Logan didn't mention he was married to Ororo, their resident weather witch. Instead of explaining, Hank left the room casually and then, once he was out of sight, bolted down to the Med Lab, concern etched on his face.

*              *              *

So what did you guys think?? Please R&R!!  
  


~*PAF*~  
Jubes


	5. Uh Oh

Author's Note: Sorry I haven't posted this sooner – it's been a bit hectic this past semester.  ;-)  Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own the X-Men, but I do own my five creations – please ask to use them if you want to!  

*          *          *

Chapter 5: Uh Oh

Minutes later, Kyoko stood by the doorway of the Med Lab with her teammates. Elizabeth and Galiana exchanged worried looks while Shawn rolled his eyes.

            "Screw this." He said loudly. "I'm getting breakfast."

            The three girls looked at him and didn't reply. They turned their heads away and looked back to the door.

            "Any takers?" He asked as he began walking away.

            "Does it look like it?" Elizabeth asked, annoyed. 

            "Your loss." He replied as he turned around the corner.

            "God, what is that guy's problem?" Elizabeth muttered to the girls. "One minute, he's worried about Justin, the next he's a huge ass."

            "Ja, he seems a little…off." Galiana agreed.

            "Either way, I do not like him." Kyoko said.

            They fell into silence again as Mrs. Grey-Summers came running down the hall. She smiled to the girls as she entered the Med Lab. The door swung back and forth for a few seconds before coming to a stop. They were able to see short glimpses of Dr. McCoy working on Mr. Logan, but nothing too detailed. 

            Another minute or two passed before Miss Rogue came out into the hallway and smiled at the girls. 

            "Why don't y'all go shower and eat?" She said, one hand on her hip. "He'll be jus' fine."

            The girls looked at each other, doubt clearly showing on their faces.

            "Y'can stay heah, but it's likely t'be borin'." Miss Rogue said as she walked down the hall. They could hear the worry she was trying to hide in her voice. "Yoah choice, girls."

            "I'm going to stay a little while longer." Elizabeth decided once Miss Rogue was gone.

            "Me too." Galiana said.

            Kyoko nodded. "I'd like to at least see Justin before we leave."

            The girls agreed and leaned against the wall, their eyes glued to the door. 

*          *          *

Meanwhile in the lab, Hank was hooking Logan up to a heart monitor and his brow was furrowed in thought. Something wasn't right. By now, Logan would've at least moved a little or groaned in pain. But it was like he was dead. Except, Hank noted, his heart was beating just fine. His pupils were responding to the light, too, but that was it. 

            "Jean, can you lend me a hand with Justin?" He asked, stepping away from the feral mutant for a moment. "I'm going to give Logan a few more minutes before I check his brain activity."

            "Sure, Hank." Jean replied, walking towards the young man. She glanced at Logan briefly, but knew he would wake up soon.

            "Can you pass me the stethoscope?" He absentmindedly asked as he checked Justin's pulse. 

            The metal instrument floated towards the doctor and Hank plucked it from the air. He listened to Justin's heart and was pleased with what he heard. His pupils responded and his reflexes seemed just fine. Suddenly, Justin blinked and opened his eyes slowly.

            "Ah, my adolescent patient has roused." Hank said, pleased. "How are you feeling, lad?"

            "Tired." He replied honestly. "What happened, Dr. McCoy?"

            "It seems you shocked our untamed companion once again." Hank said. Worry flickered in Justin's eyes before Jean stepped forward.

            "Don't worry." Jean assured him. "He'll be just fine."

            "I'll have your teammates walk you up to your room." Hank said. "Get some sleep. You should be just fine. If you have any problems, just give me a call."

            "Ok." Justin yawned.

            "C'mon. I'll show you to the hall." Jean said. She led him to the door and gently pushed his back a little. "Go get some sleep."

            Somewhat dazed, Justin just nodded as Jean asked the girls to walk him to his dorm. Once they left, Jean joined Hank by Logan's side.

            "Is there something wrong?" She asked. 

            Too lost in his own thoughts, Hank didn't reply at first. Jean's words registered in his mind but he knew she would wait for his answer. 

            "I need to check his brain activity." Came his vague reply after a few minutes.

            Jean nodded and the cart with a Shi'ar modified EEG monitor silently moved across the room until it was at the side of Logan's bed.

            "Thank you." Hank murmured as he began placing the wires on Logan's forehead. The screen filled with theta waves indicating his brain was still functioning but at a slower pace than normal. Normally with Logan, Hank would see fast-paced beta waves indicating the concentration Logan maintained to handle the constant stream of information he received through his heightened senses. Even when he was sleeping, his brain continued to produce these beta waves. 

            Hank remained silent as he watched the monitor for a few minutes, hoping it would return to normal. Nothing changed and Hank looked at Jean, worried.

            "What's wrong, Hank? What is it?" Jean asked, looking at the monitor. She figured the waves were a good sign, but now she was worried.

            "In words of one syllable?" He asked, his eyes glued to the monitor. "I do not know."

            Jean glanced at Logan and back at Hank. "Should we call Ororo?"

            Hank shook his head. "No, let's not worry her just yet." He said, turning to face the redhead. "I think perchance a telepathic scan might show us what's going on within the Canuck's mind."

            Jean nodded and a chair wheeled itself towards her. She sat down without looking at the chair, knowing it would be exactly where she needed it. Hank didn't say anything as his eyes flickered between Jean and the machines. Her eyes closed and her hands rested on Logan's temples. After a deep breath, her consciousness left her mind and entered Logan's.

*          *          *

The scene she walked in on was frightening. His mind was deadly quiet and a red haze filled the sky. Jean slowly walked across the empty field she found herself in. A large tree sat upon a sloping hill but there was nothing else. Normally, Logan's mind was flooded with activity as he fought to maintain his grip on humanity as well as process everything his keen senses picked up. Random memories often passed through in short glimpses, but none of that occurred now. 

"Logan?" She called out. It seemed to echo in the emptiness.

Concerned, she continued to probe deeper into his mind. Jean quickly walked towards the tree and then noticed a house off in the distance upon another hill. From the looks of it, it was a mansion, nearly as large as Xavier's. There was a brook down near the large tree and she also saw a garden off to the side of the house. Quickening her pace, she neared the mansion. Once she reached the gardens, Jean slowed down and began looking for any sign of life within the house. 

The sky began turning a shade of purple as she walked closer. Then she heard a harsh, clipping noise. Turning the corner, she saw a man who looked like Logan, only a little older, a little more rugged, if that was possible. 

"Excuse me?" Jean called over. 

The man turned and let his eyes blatantly wander down her body. 

"What?" He answered gruffly. His voice was deeper than Logan's but his features were uncannily the same. Even his wild hair matched Logan's.

"Can you tell me who owns this house?" She asked carefully.

"This here is Howlett's estate." He said, narrowing his eyes. "Ya mean t'tell me, lady, ya came up here and didn't know who owned the house?" 

"I was just checking." She replied quickly.

He huffed at her response and then turned back to his work of trimming the hedges. Taking the hint, Jean left the man alone and continued to make her way towards the main entrance of the house. That's when she saw her reflection in one of the first floor windows. Gasping, she looked down at herself. She was dressed in a deep blue dress that flared out slightly at her waistline. She also wore a white apron wrapped around her waist. Her hair was pulled up in a bun and the tight collar of the dress came up to the middle of her neck. The sleeves were slightly puffy but ended in tight cuffs at her wrists. She looked at her feet and was shocked to see black boots with buttons up the sides instead of a zipper. 

            "You there!" A woman yelled. "You're needed in the kitchen, girl!"

            Jean looked up to see a plump woman pointing at her.

            "Well? What are you waiting for? Master Howlett is expecting his dinner on time this evening!" The woman said angrily.

            Deciding to play along with his memory, Jean simply nodded her head and hurried after the larger woman.

            "I'm sorry." She said vaguely.

            "Miss Rose needs some help upstairs with Master James." The other woman said curtly. "Go attend to Master James and then report back to the kitchen."

            Jean nodded her head and walked to the staircase.

            "What on earth is going on?" She muttered to herself. The other woman had been dressed in a very similar outfit, leading her to believe they were both servants of some kind. She had known Jean by sight, which was strange since Jean still looked like herself. But that gardener hadn't recognized her at all. Things seemed amiss and she aimed to find out what exactly was happening.

*          *          *

"I cannot move!" Galiana proclaimed, lying on a couch.

            "I think I found new muscles." Justin moaned.

            Kyoko, Galiana, Elizabeth and Justin were sprawled out in one of the six smaller TV Rooms in the Recreation House. They were the lone occupants in the room and it seemed as if they had claimed it for the year. There were only thirty students in the school, but they had been broken up into smaller teams of five each. With six teams, it made sense to have six smaller "common area" rooms in the Rec. House so they could hang out together without bothering any other students in the dorms. 

            It was only three in the afternoon and they were scheduled to meet everyone outside in thirty minutes for some "getting to know you" activities. Of course, Shawn had mocked it and stormed out of the room an hour ago to find "something better to do".

            "I can't believe Shawn." Elizabeth said, stretching out her legs. "I mean, we're all kinda stuck here. He could at least _try_ to get along with us."

            "Yeah, I understand him not wanting to know the other kids, but we're his teammates." Justin added.

            "Ja. It doesn't make any sense."

            "Maybe he's just having a much harder time adjusting." Kyoko offered. 

            "I guess." Justin replied.

            "We've tried being nice." Elizabeth said. "We were getting along OK the other night until the end and today we were fine until Miss Rogue told us to meet everyone else outside at 3:30. In fact, I would say Shawn was down-right pleasant this afternoon."

            Everyone nodded their heads, but could think of nothing else to add. 

            "I wonder if Mr. Logan is awake." Kyoko said quietly.

            "Oh he's gotta be by now." Justin claimed. "It's been hours."

            "They acted like this happened before." Elizabeth said, looking to Justin.

            "Um…" He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, um, I kinda zapped him when he and Mrs. Summers picked me up at the airport."

            "Really?" Galiana asked, leaning forward. "How long did it take for him to recover?"

            "Not even five minutes." He replied. 

            "He was still unconscious after twenty minutes this time." Elizabeth murmured.

            "Maybe something went wrong." Kyoko offered. 

            Justin looked down at his hands, worried. "Maybe…maybe I need a different teacher."

            "Why would you say that?" 

            "Well, Liz, I fried him twice!"

            "But he's the only teacher here who could survive it." Galiana stated simply.

            "But maybe he's also the only teacher here who could conduct the electricity so easily." Kyoko said, looking to Elizabeth.

            "I'm sure they thought about all of this. I'm sure they were very selective and careful in making up the teams." She replied confidently. "I bet they've done this type of thing before."

            "Maybe." Justin said, his brow bunched up in thought. "But maybe they didn't think it would be an issue."

            "You'll learn how to control it." Galiana said. "Maybe ve could help?"

            "I doubt it." He muttered. "I've been here for three weeks already and I still can't control it." 

            "Three weeks?" Kyoko asked. "We only just arrived four days ago."

            "Yeah, I came early to try to learn about my powers so I wouldn't hurt anyone. Lotta good it did."

             No one knew what to say, since it seemed he was right. Kyoko looked at Elizabeth and Galiana, both of whom had sympathetic looks on their faces. 

            "He'll be fine." Elizabeth finally said. "Stop worrying so much, Justin. I'm sure he's up and about."

            "Then why didn't he stop by to let us know?"

            "Vhy vould he?" Galiana asked. "He told us he heals quickly. I don't think he's the type of person who vould stop in to prove it."

            "I didn't think of it that way." Justin said softly. "You're right, though. I doubt he'd stop in just to say he was ok."

            "Exactly." Elizabeth said, smiling. "Like I've been saying, he's probably awake and doing some important X-Men stuff."

            "Yeah, maybe he's tuning up the jet they have." Justin said light-heartedly.

            "Or maybe he's in the Danger Room." Kyoko offered, also smiling.

            "Maybe he's kicking back, drinking some beers." Galiana said with a grin. "I saw him doing that in some pictures with a blue devil."

            "Right. Important X-Men stuff." Elizabeth said laughing lightly.

            "Actually, I bet he's with the other teachers, thinking of ways to torture us." Justin said with a dramatic groan.

            "Speaking of that, it's time to go." Kyoko said, glancing at her watch. 

            "I'm sure Mr. Logan will be out with the other teachers, waiting for us. Let's not disappoint him by being late." Elizabeth said firmly as she stood up.

            They all agreed with her and followed her to the quad. Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed when they only saw a handful of the teachers. Mr. Logan, Dr. McCoy and Mrs. Summers were all absent. 

            "Uh oh." Justin said and his teammates all silently agreed.

*          *          *

So, what did you think?? Please review!! Please???

~*PAF*~  
Jubes


	6. The Search

Author's Note: I don't own the X-Men, just my characters…Oh and this story sort of goes along with my Sleep Tonight storyline (minus the epilogue – I'll explain more about that in my next chapter). It's not really necessary to read that, but you need to know one major thing - Prof. X is dead so Jean is in charge now and is the leading telepath on the team. 

Ok, on to the story!

Chapter 6: The Search 

*          *          *

Jean hadn't moved a muscle since she sat down at 9am and it was just now 4pm. Hank watched her, knowing this was indeed a bad sign. He had called Ororo around noon and she was on a flight home. It was unfortunate she didn't bring one of the jets with her, but when Hank offered to come get her she had simply said it would help calm her nerves to take a normal flight home.

            Jean's shirt was nearly soaked through with sweat and her hair was matted down. Her brow was creased in concentration and her mouth was set in a thin grim line. Hank was extremely concerned as he gently touched her neck to check her pulse. It was very high for Jean and, if she didn't come out of it soon, he would need to find Betsy to step in. 

            Meanwhile, inside Logan's mind, Jean had been privy to memories that were buried deep within his psyche. She was now in a coal miner's camp as a silent observer instead of an acting participant. She had watched Logan grow up and her eyes were shining with unshed tears. These were his true memories, of that she was sure. Now she just had to store them within her own memory so she could program the Danger Room with them later.

            After the woman named Rose, who uncannily resembled Jean, was killed, the memories faded. Jean was suddenly standing alone in an empty room and she felt a chill run up her spine. 

            "Logan?" She called out, sending her thoughts as far as she could. "Please respond to me! Logan!"

            She continued to call his name for over thirty minutes in real time, which felt like hours on the astral plane. The room began to swirl and became a small temple. Jean thought it looked familiar, but she couldn't place it. A paper door to the left slid open and she turned to face it, hoping. Finally, a hunched figure approached her and Jean smiled. It was most certainly Logan. 

            "Jeannie?" He asked, confusion written on his face.

            "Logan, thank God." She sighed.

            "What're you doing here?" Logan asked, somewhat defensively.

            "I've been trying to reach you for hours." Jean answered. "You were electrocuted again."

            He simply nodded. Then his face contorted in pain. 

            "I'm ready to wake up." He said before Jean was forcibly pushed out of his mind. That always happened when he was waking up from a healing coma and Jean expected it, but it was a much stronger push than normal. Attempting a light scan, Jean realized quickly that Logan was angry with her for being in his mind. 

            Jean slowly opened her eyes and looked at Henry wearily. 

            "Oh thank God." He said in a quick breath. "I was about to call for Betsy."

            "No need." Jean said through a tight smile. "He'll be awake any minute now."

            Logan's eyes snapped opened and he shot up from the bed, confused.

            "Rest easy, my friend." Hank said, placing a reassuring hand on his feral teammate's arm. "You've been in a coma for nearly seven hours."

            Logan shook his head. "Christ almighty." He muttered, blinking several times. Then he turned his gaze to Jean and a scowl fell over his features. Instead of confronting her, Logan locked eyes with the telepath for several seconds. Jean knew he was angry but she didn't look away.

            "Ororo's on her way home." Jean said flatly. 

            "Why?"

            "We were worried." Hank answered, confused by the staring contest that seemed to be taking place. "I called her this morning. She should be arriving home within the hour."

            Jean finally broke eye contact as she closed her eyes, obviously tired.

            "If you don't need me, Hank, I'm going to get some rest."

            "A wonderful idea." The doctor replied. "You should get some sleep, too, Logan."

            "I'll be fine." He said, pulling the IV from his arm and taking the wires off his temple. 

            Hank and Jean sighed in unison as Logan quickly stood up and marched out of the infirmary. 

            "What was that all about?" Hank finally asked, looking to his old friend.

            "Oh, he's just angry with me." Jean replied. She shook her head as if it happened every day. "He just needs to cool off."

            Hank simply nodded, knowing the temper Logan had when it came to telepathic scans. 

            "I'll be at home should anyone need me." Jean said, referring to the boathouse she and Scott shared. "See you later, Hank."

            "Sleep well." He replied, scribbling notes on Logan's medical chart.

*          *          *          

After pulling on jeans and a t-shirt, Logan sauntered outside to find his students sitting around in a circle. He glanced around and noticed all of the training groups were doing the same thing. Rogue saw him and waved. He nodded in her direction but didn't join the other X-Men. He needed to talk to the kids.

            Galiana was the first to notice him and she smiled, nudging Elizabeth. Then the whole group turned their heads and smiled as Logan walked over to them. He couldn't help but find some joy in that. He enjoyed teaching, but Logan wasn't one to admit that he enjoyed much, so he kept his face neutral.

            Once he was at their circle, he easily knelt down between Elizabeth and Justin as they moved over to make room.

            "Hey guys." Logan greeted, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

            "You're ok!" Justin said happily. 

            "Yeah, I'm fine." He replied, looking at the young man who had sent him to the infirmary. 

            "Is everything alright, sensei?" Kyoko asked. "You were gone for a very long time."

            "Sometimes it just takes me a longer to heal."

            They all nodded, but didn't really understand. Logan could tell but they didn't ask about it so he didn't explain further. 

            "Where's Shawn?" He finally asked.

            "We're not sure, Mr. Logan." Justin answered.

            "He disappeared after you and Justin were sent to the infirmary." Elizabeth explained. "No one has seen him since."

            Logan nodded, somewhat concerned. "I'll track him down in a few."

            "Mr. Logan, before you go," Elizabeth began hesitantly, "can you…well, can you save us?"

            "Whaddya mean?" 

            "These exercises…" Galiana explained, "vell, they're horrible."

            Logan let out a deep laugh and his students all smiled at him.

            "Yeah, we have a list of questions to ask each other." Justin added.  
            "They're, well, stupid." Elizabeth said sheepishly.

            "I don't see any merit in these exercises, sensei." Kyoko said firmly.

            "I didn't plan 'em." He said lightly in defense. "But I'm sure I can think of somethin' to help ya out."

            "Oh thank you so much, Mr. Logan!" Elizabeth exclaimed. The others nodded in agreement.

            He chuckled and stood up. "Wait here."

            They watched him walk over to Mr. Summers with anticipation. After a few brief exchanges, Mr. Summers scowled but nodded to Mr. Logan. Whatever he had said worked, it seemed. He made his way back to them and winked.

            "Worked like a charm." He said to them. "C'mon, I told One-Eye that we've gotta find Shawn."

            The others smiled and stood up. While they weren't thrilled about looking for their grouchy teammate, it was better than sitting in a circle asking about favorite colors and movies.

*          *          *

"Alright, we'll start with the obvious places." He said as they walked towards the dormitories. "Elizabeth, you take Kyoko and try to track his scent in the men's dorm. I'll take Justin and Galiana to search the rec rooms. Meet back here in fifteen minutes."

            "What if we find him?" Elizabeth asked.

            "Use your com-badge and let me know. If you can, convince him to come down with you. But I doubt he'll come down quietly."

            The girls nodded and entered the men's dorm. Logan looked at Justin and Galiana and nodded at them.

            "You two follow me." 

            The three of them set off towards the Recreation House. Logan could feel his body fighting him. He needed to sleep but finding his student was more important, so he ignored his body for the moment. They stepped inside and Logan inhaled deeply. 

            "He was here a few hours ago." He said to his students. "His scent is stale, so he's definitely not in here."

            They nodded. 

            "What now?" Galiana asked.

            "We wait for the girls." He replied, walking back towards the quad where they split up. "Then we begin searching the grounds."

            "But what if he left campus?" Justin asked.

            "We'll deal with that if it comes down to it." Logan replied. "But it's a good question."

            Justin smiled and followed Logan back to the middle of the quad. Elizabeth and Kyoko joined them shortly, shaking their heads.

            "No sign of him in the dorms, Mr. Logan."

            "Alright, you four head out and try to cover as much of the western part of the campus as you can. There's going to be a lot of scents on that side since the dock and the basketball courts are over there. Elizabeth won't be able to fully decipher them so put your heads together and help out, ok?" 

The four teenagers nodded. He could tell they were proud that he trusted them to cover part of the campus alone. 

"I'll cover the deep woods on the eastern side and, if I can't find anything, I'll come and join you. It should take me about an hour to fully cover the area, so you'll be on your own for a while. If you find him, let me know."

"Will do, Mr. Logan." Elizabeth piped up. 

Without another word, Logan pointed towards the western side of the campus. His students quickly began making their way over there as he took off in a sprint towards the woods. 

*          *          *

Thirty minutes later…

Logan slowly approached a clearing in the woods, taking in the scents around him. Shawn was definitely near by but he didn't want to scare him off. The kid obviously had some issues with Logan and he needed to talk to Shawn without making him angry. After telling Elizabeth he had found Shawn on the com-badge quickly, Logan began walking closer to the clearing. 

            Shawn was sitting under a tree with a frown on his face. He was pulling blades of grass out of the ground and flicking them up in the air. Logan quietly approached him and crouched down next to him.

            "Hey kid." Logan said in a quiet tone. 

            "Hi, Mr. Logan." Shawn replied, not looking up at him. He was timid, which seemed unlike Shawn from what Logan had observed.

            "Why weren't you with your teammates?"

            Shawn glanced at Logan, trying to read his expression. Shawn couldn't tell if he was angry with him or not.

            "I dunno." He finally answered. Logan was reminded of Jubilee and had to keep himself from rolling his eyes.

            Logan leaned back and sat down, draping his arms over his knees. 

            "Look, I'm not gonna sit here and pretend to know everything. But I've seen a lot of things in my day." Logan began carefully. "And I know an empath when I see one."

            Shawn didn't reply. He kept pulling on the grass, waiting for his teacher to continue.

            "You must've felt some serious pain earlier from me." Logan continued. "And you must've felt the distrust and annoyance from your teammates the other night. The girls told me you were fine until Kyoko became defensive. It makes sense if yer an empath, Shawn. You would become defensive, too. Likewise, you would'a been in a world of hurt from me." 

            Logan glanced at the young man and saw a slight reaction. Shawn flinched as he mentioned the pain from earlier and Logan knew he had hit the nail on the head. Jean had suspected he might be empathic, but it hadn't manifested when Hank reviewed his mutant physiology. 

            "I know a few people who can help you control it, Shawn." 

            "What about you?" He asked in a low voice.

            "I can only help you so far." Logan replied honestly. "I can teach you to meditate and that can help you focus, but you'll need to enroll in the telepathy classes, too. Jean and Betsy will be able to help you in ways I can't."

            Shawn finally looked over at his teacher. Logan could see that he was skeptical.

            "They're both telepaths and they've both encountered empaths before." He explained. "You'll learn how to block out other people's emotions."

            "I can be myself again?" Shawn asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.

            "Yeah. I promise." Logan said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Now why don't we get back and get some food?"

            Shawn nodded with a small smile beginning to form. "Sounds good, Mr. Logan."

            Logan stood up slowly, his body reminding him he needed to rest badly. 

            "You're tired, Mr. Logan." Shawn said, concerned. 

            "I'll be fine, Shawn." The other man replied. "Let's go."

            Shawn began following Logan, doubt clearly on his face.

*          *          *

So, what do you think? Please R&R!

~*PAF*~  
Jubes


	7. Tomorrow Will Be Better

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in the updates, but now I did two in one day! I'm on a roll! Gotta love spring break. Hehehe. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's focused more on RoLo than the kids, but don't worry – the kids will be back in the next chapter. I hope to have another update by the end of the week but we'll see. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own the X-Men, just my OCs. Please ask before using them…

With that said, on to chapter 7…

Chapter 7: Tomorrow Will Be Better…

*          *          *

As a taxi cab slowly drove away from Xavier's Mansion, Ororo ran to the doors and rushed into the mansion. Throwing her bags down without a care, she quickly made her way to the infirmary. Henry looked up in surprise as the weather goddess nearly slammed the doors off their hinges.

            "Ororo!" He called from his desk. "Before you ask, Logan's fine. I believe he's outside with his students."

            Relief washed over Ororo and she put her hand to her heart. "Oh thank the goddess!" She walked over to Hank's desk. "I was so worried, Hank. I should've taken you up on your offer. The flight home was dreadfully long."

            "Hmm, I can imagine, my dear." He repelied. "But fear not. Jean and I were able to help him. He's probably cooking dinner for the barbeque planned at 7 tonight. Why don't you go join him and convince him to get some rest?"

            Ororo smiled at his comment. "Ignoring the doctor's orders, as usual?"

            "But of course."

            "I'll take care of him, don't worry." She said with a wink. "Shall I send for you when the food is ready?"

            "No, don't bother. I'll be up shortly, you can count on that." He paused, glancing up at her. "How went the appointment in Tokyo I set up for you?"

            Ororo's smile faltered. "Not well." Came her reply. "They said I wouldn't be able to bear a pregnancy to full term. They said that's why I had the two miscarriages." Her arms were wrapped around her waist. 

            "I'm so sorry, Ororo." Hank said, standing up from his desk. He enveloped Ororo in his arms and she leaned into him.

            "Does Logan know why I went to Japan?" Ororo asked, stepping back.

            "No, I did not tell him, as per your request." Hank answered truthfully. "Do you want to tell him or would you prefer I do it?"

            "No, I'll do it." She said, a sad tone in her voice. "Thank you for getting me the appointment, Henry. I really do appreciate your help."

            "Of course." He replied, frowning. "If you need anything else at all, please just let me know."

            Ororo nodded and then left the lab, being more careful of the doors this time. 

*          *          *

Outside, Logan was manning the grill while Scott took care of the spit they had made. While a pig roast wasn't common, they decided to give it a shot since they had had requests from various students. Jean and Betsy continued to glance at the dead pig with disgust in their eyes but they kept smiles on their faces. Rogue, on the other hand, was delighted about the pig roast, as was Remy. Must be a Southern thing, Logan mused. 

            The wind changed suddenly and Logan tilted his head. That wasn't natural. He quickly looked to the house and a large smile crossed his features. A vision of beauty stood on the patio. White hair seemed to flow around her face and the pale blue dress flickered in the wind she had created. Ororo was finally home. His best friend and lover. His wife. 

            Remy immediately stepped up next to Logan and took the grilling tools from his hands. While normally the Canadian would've growled at Remy, he nodded in gratitude and quickly made his way to the patio. Ororo waited for him, one hand on her hip, a fake frown on her face. Logan wasn't concerned. He knew she was acting the part of the angry and concerned leader but it wouldn't matter when he got to her. And deep down, Ororo knew that, too.

            He was quickly standing in front of the African weather goddess and inhaled deeply, relishing her scent. Instead of words, Logan pulled his wife into a long kiss, causing many a cat-call to be made by their fellow teammates. While it had only been a week since she had left, it felt like an eternity to Logan. Laughing into their kiss, Ororo finally pulled back and looked into her husband's eyes.

            "Miss me?" She teased.

            "Not at all." He teased in return. "Betsy's been takin care of me."

            "Oh is that so?" Ororo asked, smiling. "I'll have to send a nice rain cloud over her bed later."     

            Logan laughed loudly and kissed her again. He truly was a different man when she was home. He was happy whenever she was within his senses' range. They always joked about sleeping with their teammates when one of them was away. It kept things less serious and they both agreed their lives were serious enough already. 

            "I love you." Ororo said as he walked with her to the garden, away from prying eyes.

            "I love you, too." He replied. They arrived at their favorite spot and Logan kissed her hand gently.

"So why aren't you resting, Logan?" Ororo asked 

            "I'm fine." Logan replied through a yawn.

            "Obviously." Ororo said, rolling her blue eyes. 

            "I've been with the kids all afternoon. I don't wanna concern them." He finally answered, wrapping his arms around her waste. "If they think they can hurt me, it won't do them any good."  
            "It was Justin again." It wasn't a question; just a statement.

            "Yeah."            

            "Is it really wise to be his teacher then, Logan? Two times in three weeks…" She trailed off.

            "Yeah, but what happens if he electrocutes Jean or Kitty when they wear the metal in their uniforms? What then?" Logan retorted. They had been arguing about this particular topic for nearly two and a half weeks now. It was starting to get old and it was beginning to get on Logan's nerves.

            "I understand, but…well, Henry said you were down for nearly seven hours today when I called from the road. Seven hours is incredibly long for you, love, and is much longer than the first time." Ororo said, stepping out of his embrace. "I worry that you might not wake up next time."

            "You worry too much, darlin'." He answered softly. 

"I do not think it's an invalid fear." 

"Well, I can handle what he throws at me. No one else can. It wouldn't be right to let Kitty or anyone else teach him and get killed for it." He said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"We could take precautions at least. Perhaps have Jean damper his powers slightly until he is ready to deal with them."

"No way. We've never done that to anyone else and we're not gonna start with Justin." He replied with his arms crossed. 

Ororo sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She knew he was right but it didn't matter. She felt as if another solution was possible. 

"Can we talk about this later, 'Ro? Gumbo's burnin the burgers."

            Ororo nodded and smiled despite her concern. Logan could always do that to her, no matter what. He could always make her smile despite the situation.

            "Of course. Go tend to the grill. I need to catch up with Jean and my students anyways."

            "Not a bad idea. Kitty and Jean have been helpin' 'em this week, but from what I've heard they're all anxious to have you back in charge." Logan said with a lop-sided smile. 

            "They think I am a softy, as you say." She said, walking back towards the group with him. "They only met me the first few days, so they're in for a wake up call."

            Logan smiled and kissed her cheek.

            "Give 'em hell." He said as he stepped towards the grill.

            "Always." Came Ororo's reply over her shoulder as she walked towards Jean and Betsy. 

*          *          *

Later that night…

Logan followed Ororo up to the loft around 10pm. It had been an incredibly long day and he just wanted to pass out. His students had complimented his cooking and he was happy to see Shawn making more of an effort to be nice to his teammates. After a fireworks show from Jubilee, Jean had announced it was getting late and that everyone should turn in. That had been merely five minutes ago and Logan had been incredibly grateful to see his students heading towards their dorms. It meant he could finally get to bed and be with his wife. 

As they walked up the stairs, Ororo could tell he was dragging himself up the loft stairs and she smiled to herself. 

            _If only he would listen to Hank,_ she thought.

            "How's Yuriko?" Logan asked as he slowly climbed the second set of stairs to the bed landing. 

            Ororo paused before answering. She glanced at her reflection and knew she had to tell him. But not tonight. _Tomorrow would be better_, she thought. _Yes, definitely not tonight. Tomorrow I shall tell him. Tomorrow._

            "The same as always." Ororo finally replied from her vanity. "Truly insane."

            Logan nodded, but he hadn't really notice her pause. He was exhausted and was trying his hardest to pull his boots off. They just wouldn't come off.           

            "How was yer flight?" 

            "Long." 

            "I'm sorry for worryin' ya, darlin'. And for makin' ya cut yer trip short."

            "Do not be concerned. It was time I came home anyways."

            Ororo ascended the stairs and smiled at her husband. He was struggling with his boots. 

            "You're a mess." She said simply. Logan nodded in agreement as she helped pull off his snakeskin boots. 

            "Do you need any more help?" She asked, teasing.

            "I think I can manage." He said, looking at her sideways. He had a slight smile on his face and Ororo smiled in return. She quickly fluffed her pillow and then Logan's. Then her eyes swirled white and small rain clouds began to appear over each plant in the attic. Logan loved when she did that, although he would never admit it. He just thought it looked beautiful to have so many small clouds hovering inside. 

After a few minutes, Logan was sliding under the covers and Ororo was finishing with her plants. She hit the lights and joined Logan in bed after she slid out of her clothes. 

"I missed you." Logan said softly as he pulled her close.

"And I missed you, love." 

Soon, Logan's rhythmic breathing filled the loft and Ororo turned on her side. She was so scared to tell Logan the news. It would break his heart, she was sure of it. With a heavy heart, Ororo closed her eyes and waited for sleep.

*          *          *

What do you guys think? Any suggestions or criticisms? Please R&R!!  
  
~*PAF*~  
Jubes


	8. Distractions

Author's Note: Oooooooooops! I made a big typo! Thanks to Blix Howlett for finding it for me – in Chapter 7 I said "Yuriko" – I did in fact mean "Yukio". Two totally different people…sorry folks! I hope I didn't confuse too many people. 

Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad there are people out there reading this one!  :-)  Hopefully I'll get a few more this time around…

Disclaimer: yadda yadda yadda…

*          *          *          

Chapter 8: Distractions

*          *          *

Three days went by and Ororo continued to put off telling Logan the bad news. In fact, she was so engrossed in training her students she barely had time to eat lunch with him let alone have a serious conversation. Of course, Logan was also extremely busy with his students, so it didn't seem strange to him that Ororo was avoiding serious conversation. Whenever they were working hard, they barely saw each other except at night. Even then, they usually said goodnight and were both dead asleep minutes later.

            Power training had begun for the groups and Logan had decided to begin their training in a different way. To Logan, meditation was the key to controlling the mind and controlling the mind was the first step in controlling power. His five students, who had decided to call themselves Team Omega since the other groups were picking Greek names, were outside instead of training within the confines of the Danger Room for three hours. They were sitting by the lake listening to Logan explain the benefits of meditation for the third day in a row. While it was getting repetitive, they were also learning his words by heart. Satisfied, Logan explained how to do it, had them spread out and then they began. 

            Just like the previous three days, Logan walked around and gave them each pointers. He was extremely pleased with Justin's progress but Shawn was having a lot of difficultly with the technique. Logan had a feeling it had to do with his empathic abilities and picking up the frustration from his teammates. Betsy had begun individual training sessions with him, but he was far from reaching his goal of blocking out emotions. 

            Elizabeth also had a hard time focusing her mind and Logan knew why. The scents and sounds from the woods surrounding the campus sent a lot of information to her senses. It was a lot to process but she hadn't given up yet. He could sense her building frustration and knew he would have to take her for a tour of the campus within the next few days to help her identify the scents. 

            Galiana wasn't having too many difficulties, although she would lose her concentration frequently to listen to a bird singing or watch one fly by. Otherwise, she was doing well and Logan nodded in amused approval as she sheepishly looked up at him as a bird flew overhead.

            Kyoko was the only one who hadn't needed a signal piece of advice or instruction. As cliché as it was, Logan knew it had to do with growing up in a small town in Japan. She obviously had some martial arts training, although it wasn't as much as Kitty or even Jubilee. Her training probably stopped shortly after learning about Xavier's school, he assumed. 

Kyoko's grace and the way she walked showed a little training in a more classical style of aikido, but her method of mediation was what solidified his theory on the type of martial arts she had been taught. Aikido meditation employs a rather different technique than what Logan was teaching. While he was teaching his students to stay in seiza, Kyoko would go through four sets of techniques before sitting in seiza. Then, after a brief pause, she would repeat herself. The whole time she was perfectly quiet and kept her eyes closed. Logan knew this method usually required a partner, but he wasn't going to put a stop to her choice of meditation. 

After an hour of meditation and coaching, Logan announced it was time for their daily run around the campus two times, which was roughly five miles. He was surprised no one groaned. They were learning to respect his orders and knew groaning only earned an extra lap. 

"Ok, once you're done running, you're finished for today." 

Looks of shock filled their faces. Usually they had to go through another series of exercises including sit ups and push ups for another hour after their running session.

"Don't look so shocked. I'll make sure you're here for the full three hours tomorrow." Logan said, amusement in his voice. "Tomorrow you'll try meditating again for an hour and we'll up the running to ten miles."

As usual, Logan began stretching his legs and his team quickly followed suit. He set the pace for them and he had been slowly increasing his speed over the past few days. Elizabeth never had any problems keeping up with him since she always changed her form, but Logan planned on stopping that. It was time she ran alongside her teammates in her natural form.

"Elizabeth." He called over. She looked up at him as she stretched her quads and quickly walked over. 

"Yes, Mr. Logan?"

"No morphing today." He said simply. 

A disappointed look fell over her face but she didn't say anything.

"Ok." She replied, walking back towards Galiana.

"Alright, let's move." Logan said, jogging towards the dirt path that surrounded the estate. 

Logan got lost in his thoughts during the run like he usually did. Ororo had smelled strange when she had come home. At first, he thought it was from Yukio and had dismissed it. But then he realized she had a stale scent of that ultrasound gel stuff Hank had used a few times while they got ready for bed. He felt a pang of hurt in his chest at the thought. Ororo had been pregnant twice now and both times she lost the baby before the third trimester. The first had been right before Charles' death. The second time had only been a few months ago. The pain was still fresh but Logan had ignored it. He had to push the pain away in order to be strong for Ororo. But now it all rushed back as he began thinking of those ultrasounds Hank had performed. 

Shaking his head slightly, he tried to focus his thoughts on the present. Why had she smelled like that stuff again? Ororo certainly wasn't pregnant again. Logan would've smelled the change immediately. Plus, it was too soon for that, according to Hank. They wouldn't be able to try again for quite a few months. Hank had told them he wanted Ororo to get as much time as possible in order for her uterus to fully heal. It had been damaged during the second pregnancy more so than the first. Logan blinked a few times and found his eyes stung from unshed tears. 

_Not good_, he thought. _I can't lose it in front of the kids_.

Pushing the thoughts of the failed pregnancies from his mind, Logan focused his eyes on the path and attempted to lose himself in the rhythm of his running.

*          *          *

"Did Mr. Logan seem distracted to you today?" Elizabeth asked her teammates over lunch.

            "During the run? Yeah. Definitely." Shawn answered. "He usually barks orders at us but he didn't say a single word the entire time."

            "I agree." Kyoko added, pushing her salad around with a fork. "Perhaps he is just distracted because his wife is home?"

            "Yeah, maybe." Justin agreed. 

            "I don't think so." Shawn said in a lower voice. "It's not just that."

            "Vat do you mean?" Galiana asked.

            "Well, he felt really, I dunno, sad I guess." 

            "How could you tell what he was feeling?" Elizabeth asked, glancing at Kyoko and Galiana.

            "I…ummm…well…I…." Shawn stuttered. "Mrs. Summers and Miss Braddock think…well, they say I'm empathic or some shit."

            "Really?" Justin asked, interested. "That's really cool!"

            "So does that mean you can read our minds?" Galiana asked, confused with the term.

            "No, just emotions, I guess." Shawn said with a shrug.

            "Did you pick up anything else?" Elizabeth asked, leaning forward slightly.

            "I'm not sure. It's kinda confusing, since I can't really single out any real emotions yet." He replied honestly. "But…"

            "Yeah?" Galiana said.

            "Well, I think there was something more." Shawn said after pausing to sip his soda. 

            "What did it feel like?" Justin asked. 

            "Something more than sadness." He said after a long pause. "Something closer to regret, I think."

            "Regret?" Kyoko echoed. "That doesn't sound like something Mr. Logan would really experience. Perhaps it was something else?"

            "No, I'm pretty sure it was regret. Or at least something close to it." Shawn said after thinking about it. He wasn't fully confident but he couldn't think of another answer. His teammates sat in thought for a few minutes, mulling over Shawn's news.

            "Maybe it wasn't regret. Maybe it was closer to grief. What do you think, Shawn?" Elizabeth suggested, sipping her milk.

            "Yeah. Yeah that was it!" Shawn said confidently. "I just couldn't place the emotion. It was grief. I'm positive."

            "What could he possibly have to grieve over?" Elizabeth said, looking to her teammates. "I know he's had a rough history, but according to his files the last year or two haven't had any major turmoil."

            "Yeah, you're right. All of his big problems happened about five years ago." Galiana added, thinking back to the file.

            "Perhaps we should read his file more closely." Kyoko suggested. "Maybe we can help him somehow. He's been helping us so much, don't you think? I think we owe him."

            "Yeah, I agree." Justin said with a nod. "But what can we do?"

            "I'm not sure exactly, but it can't hurt to look in his file. Want to meet in our rec room after dinner tonight?" Elizabeth asked. "Maybe we'll find a lead of sorts that can point us in the right direction."

            "Sure." Shawn nodded. The others followed his lead.

            "Ok, everyone bring their copies of his file and we'll meet around eight. We'll see what we can figure out." 

            "Shit, I have to get to Calculus!" Shawn suddenly said, looking at his watch. "I'll see you guys later!"

            "Oh, I'm late for English!" Galiana exclaimed, grabbing her books. The others glanced at the time and quickly grabbed their books and lunch trays. Soon their table was empty as the five teammates quickly ran off to their afternoon classes.

*          *          *

Hmmm…how will Wolvie take the invasion of privacy that's sure to ensue?? The possibilities are endless! Hehe. What did you guys think?? Please R&R!!

~*PAF*~  
Jubes


	9. Revelations

A/N: I'm just on a roll, it seems. My muse is loving me (knock on wood). Let me know what you think of the story, folks! Thanks again for the reviews – I love hearing what people have to say about my writing…

Disclaimer: blah blah blah…

*          *          *

Chapter 9: Revelations

*          *          *

Logan sat alone outside, attempting to meditate. It wasn't working, unfortunately. His mind had been all over the place that day and now was no different. He was still trying to figure out why Ororo smelled of that ultrasound stuff and he hadn't come up with anything yet. He would have to mention it to her later that night. Maybe after the mall trip Jubilee had just convinced him to go on. 

            How she had managed to get him to say yes still confused him. Jubilation had a power over Logan that none of the other women, except maybe Ororo, had. She could get him to say yes to things he would usually gut people for suggesting. He sighed deeply, knowing the mall trip would just aggravate him and leave him with a massive headache. 

_Too bad Ororo has work to do tonight,_ he thought. _I'd like to go to a movie with her. It's been a long time since we've done that._

He shook his head and again tried to clear his mind.

Despite his efforts, images of Mariko began to fill his mind. Kyoko looked so much like his former fiancée but her skills were not the same. Mariko hadn't been trained in martial arts, but it only changed the resemblance slightly in Logan's opinion. Her polite mannerisms and soft way of speaking reminded him of Mariko for sure. It had been difficult working so closely with her when Ororo was away. And now it was even more difficult. It felt like he was hiding something from Ororo, but he knew he wasn't. He was sure the feelings of confusion and guilt would go away soon enough. He knew Kyoko wasn't Mariko and that's what mattered. Who cared if she looked like his beloved M'iko? Mariko was long dead and he was happily married. His dead betrothed couldn't haunt him anymore. He was over her death. It was over and done with. 

At least, that's what he kept telling himself. 

_Maybe she's haunting me because I'm not over it yet_, he thought somberly. _Maybe I haven't really accepted it…_

"Yer losin' it, bub." He said softly to himself as he shook his head, attempting to clear away the thoughts of doubt. "Ya love Ororo. Hell, yer married t'her. Mariko's long gone."

Logan sighed as he opened his eyes. This wasn't helping. It was only making matters worse. He was starting to realize he wasn't over Mariko's death, but he ignored his inner most thoughts. Time to try a long workout, he decided as he stood up. That always helped to clear his head.

*          *          *

Team Omega was gathered in their self-claimed rec room with the door firmly shut. They each had Logan's file spread out in front of them, covering the entire table and a good amount of the floor. Shawn still hadn't finished the file, but the others had. He was listening to what they were saying and realized he really needed to read the novel that was spread out in front of him.

            He absentmindedly flipped through a few pages until he came upon a wedding invitation. Logan and an Asian woman were side by side in the picture that was attached. Shawn quickly scanned the page and got her name. Mariko. It was a pretty name, he decided. Then he looked up at Kyoko and back to Mariko. They certainly looked a lot alike, he noticed. Of course, Shawn didn't want to say that. It might upset Kyoko. Hell, his comment might make her think he was a racist for thinking she looked like another Asian woman. His friends back home used to joke around saying that Asians all looked the same. He never really agreed with them, despite always agreeing aloud. It was just easier to agree sometimes. But in this case, she really did look like Mariko.  

            _God_, he thought, _it must make Logan crazy to see Kyoko everyday. It says she died…_

            His thoughts trailed off as he read the next line, explaining that Logan was the one who killed her. Shawn's jaw dropped slightly but he closed his mouth quickly when he noticed the others looking at him.

            "Huh?" He said, hoping they had asked him a question.

            "I asked, what're you looking at? Anything that might help us out?" Liz said patiently. 

            "Oh, no. Just flipping through some of the older stuff." He replied. "I haven't finished everything yet."

            Liz nodded. "Yeah, I just finished last night. It's a huge file."

            "Vat about this?" Galiana asked, pointing to a page with some medical records on it.

            They all leaned forward to see what page she was talking about. 

            "What does it say?" Justin asked, looking at it upside down.

            "I am not sure." Galiana admitted. She passed the page to Kyoko and Liz. "Vat do you guys think?"

            Kyoko and Elizabeth scanned the page and both grimaced at the same time.

            "What?" Shawn asked, straining his neck to see the writing.

            "Well, it's not his file." Kyoko said slowly.

            "For some reason, it's a file for some woman named…uh…Or…Ororo." Liz sounded out. 

            "That's his wife, isn't it?" Justin asked.

            "Yeah…yeah, I think you're right." Liz nodded, chewing her lower lip. "But why is it in his file? Shouldn't it be in hers?"

            "I don't know. Maybe it's important for his file or something like that? It's definitely a copy, so I bet the original is in her file." Galiana added.

            "Well? What does the page say?" Shawn asked, anxious.

            "She had a miscarriage three months ago." Kyoko replied. Both boys looked at each other, suddenly uncomfortable. "And it says she had one before that, sometime last year."

            "Ouch." Shawn muttered. 

            "I must've skipped that page when I read his file." Kyoko added, more to herself. 

            "But…but why would that be bothering him now?" Justin asked after an uncomfortable silence. "Is there something more recent?"

            "You have a point." Kyoko said, sighing. "Maybe he was just in a bad mood."

            "Yeah, maybe." Liz said. 

            They continued to poor over the file but they couldn't find anything else. Elizabeth finally fell back in her chair, her hands in the air.

            "I have no clue."

            "Me neither." Justin agreed, thumping his head down on the table.

            "It's gotta be the baby stuff." Shawn said, hanging upside down on the couch with his legs on the back of the couch.

            "It's the only thing it could be, unless something just happened." Galiana agreed, running her hands through her hair.

            "Yeah." Shawn agreed. "But I don't think anything did. I didn't read anything big from him over the past few days."

            "You can do that?" Justin asked.

            "Well, I can pick stuff up from him and you guys more than the other people." He admitted. "I think it's all the time we spend together or whatever."

            "That's cool." Liz said. 

            "But like I was sayin'," Shawn continued, "I don't think anything major has happened. It was kinda sudden while we were runnin', y'know? His mood changed really fast and he's still not the same."

             "You can still feel him, even out here?" Kyoko asked, surprised.

            "Yeah…yeah, I guess I can. I didn't even think about it." Shawn admitted, scratching his chin dramatically. "Guess I'm just that cool."

            The other laughed at him and Liz threw a pillow at his head. 

            "Right." Liz giggled. "The master of cool is in the house."

            The team broke out into laughter again.

            "In the house?" Justin laughed. "Who says that anymore?"

            "Us Boston folk must be cooler than everyone else." Elizabeth said with a wink.

            "Yeah, I'm sure that's it." Shawn said rolling his eyes.

            Meanwhile, Kyoko and Galiana watched the Americans interact with a little bit of confusion on their faces. While they weren't unfamiliar with sarcasm, they just weren't used to it in English.

            Suddenly there was a knock on the door and they all looked at each other, worried.

            "Yeah?" Liz called, looking to make sure the door was, in fact, locked.

            "It's me." Logan replied, somewhat annoyed the door was locked.

            They looked at each other with panic clearly on their faces. Papers were shuffled while Liz fumbled with the lock on the door, pretending to have problems with it. As Liz turned to check on her teammates, she got a thumbs up from them and she opened the door.

            "Sorry about that, Mr. Logan. The lock sticks sometimes." She said, quickly stepping aside to let him in. He didn't step in very far, taking in the scene in front of him. Something wasn't quite right – five teenagers studying on a Friday night? Not a likely story, as far as Logan was concerned. 

            "Right." He said, glancing at her. Logan knew she was lying, but he wasn't going to press the issue right now. Teenagers lied often enough and adults knew when to pick their battles.

            "What's up, Mr. Logan?" Shawn asked, flipping through a history text book. Logan noticed Justin had an algebra book open but he didn't say anything. In fact, they all had different text books in front of them. Again, something seemed amiss. He'd find out if they were up to trouble soon enough, he figured, so he didn't say anything. His eyes scanned all of them, staying briefly on Kyoko but then focusing back on Shawn. 

            "Just thought I'd let you guys know that some folks are going to the mall in a few to catch a movie since it's a Friday night." He said, leaning in the door frame. "Since I know you haven't seen the mall yet, thought I'd give you guys the chance of going."

            "Are you coming?" Galiana asked, all smiles as usual. 

            "Yeah." He grumbled. "I've been…convinced." 

            The kids suppressed their laughter at his annoyed look and he sighed. It would be a long night.

            "C'mon. Go get changed and meet at the garage in fifteen." Logan said over his shoulder. He walked out of the room and they let out a collective breath as soon as he walked down the hall. 

            "Close one." Justin mouthed to his teammates, knowing Logan could probably still hear them. They all nodded and grabbed their book bags. Excited about going out, the five teenagers rushed towards the dorm and saw Logan walking off towards the garage ahead of them. 

            "We need to be more careful." Kyoko said to her friends as they neared the dorms. "He noticed our text books."

            "Yeah, next time we need to agree on one book!" Liz said, still feeling her heart pounding. 

            The others nodded in agreement before splitting off to their rooms to change for the night out.

*          *          *

Jubilee waved to Logan as he approached the garage.

            "Hey, Wolvie!" She called to him. He sighed. If his students heard her various nicknames for him, he would never hear the end of it.

            "Hey, Jubes." He greeted, smiling at the younger woman. "Aren't you a little old to be this excited about the mall you've seen a million times?"

            "C'mon, Wolvie, it's still the mall." She said, accenting the word 'mall' dramatically. "Besides, my money's burning a hole in my pocket. I gotta spend it on somethin'!"

            He rolled his eyes at her and her smile beamed up at him in response. 

            "Is 'Ro coming?" Jubilee asked, looking at the other X-Men. Ororo was not among them.

            "No, she's working on some lesson plans." He replied. "It's bad enough you convinced me to come. I think she should be saved from the headache."

            "Yeah, yeah." She said, smacking her gum. "Ya love me."

            Logan ruffled her hair in response and then walked towards Rogue, who was standing alone. She was dressed in long jeans and a long sleeved green blouse. She even had matching gloves on. Normally, it would be inappropriate for the warm weather, but Logan didn't even look twice. He would've been shocked to see her wear anything else.

            "No Gumbo tonight?" Logan asked, pulling a cigar from his pocket.

            "Ah don't wanna talk about it." Rogue answered in a huff. "Ah'm just goin' to the mall t'get away from the mansion."

            Logan glanced at her with a knowing look and she couldn't help but smile slightly at him. He always knew when Remy was in the doghouse. 

            "So, you up fer catching a flick?" Logan asked, puffing on his smelly cigar.

            Rogue smiled and snatched the cigar from his mouth, pulling a long drag off of it.

            "Sure thang, sugah." She said, handing the cigar back. She laughed at Logan's shocked expression. Rogue had never taken his cigar before and he had simply assumed she hated them, just like most of the other women in the house. 

            "Ya been keeping this a secret from me all these years?" Logan said, mocking hurt feelings. "If only I had known, I would'a bought you a box of cigars instead of those earrings for yer last birthday."

            Rogue hit his arm slightly.

            "Cigars ain't no gift foah a lady." She replied, grinning.

            "Good thing you ain't a lady, ain't it?" He teased. Rogue winked and hit his arm again.

            "You know it." She drawled. "So, we gonna ride in style tonight, sugah, since our respective significant others are bailin' on us?"

            Logan flashed her a devilish grin.

            "I never thought you'd ask." He held up his motorcycle keys and Rogue smiled wickedly.

            "Thank Gawd! Ah was afraid we'd have to ride with the rest of the Partridge family in the vans." She said, taking another puff from his cigar.

            "You couldn't pay me enough." He replied, stealing his cigar back. "I have an extra, if ya want one."

            "No, Ah enjoy stealin' a little bit from yours." Rogue replied, laughing at his annoyed expression.

            "Yer just lucky I know what you're capable of." He retorted, dragging on his cigar. 

            Rogue smiled and waved to Hank and Bobby as they walked over.

            "So, how much money would it take for you guys to drive two of the vans?" Bobby asked in a serious tone.

            "More money than you've got, Drake." Wolverine replied, his cigar in the corner of his mouth.

            Rogue nodded in agreement. "Sorry, Bobby, but Wolvie and me are ridin' t'the mall together."

            "I assayed to convey these speerings unto you, my propitious crony." Hank said, hitting Bobby's arm. Bobby rolled his eyes at Hank's large words. It was a tell-tale sign that Hank must've been cooped up all day in his lab.

            "Ah think he means Ah told ya so." Rogue teased.

            "Indeed, I do!" Hank said, showing his toothy smile. "Come, Popsicle, I perchance may have peered upon another possible pair we can attempt to persuade."

            "Oh God no…not alliteration!" Bobby whined as he was pulled away by the furry doctor. 

            Rogue and Logan shook their heads at the dynamic duo as they sauntered towards Jean and Scott, waving and smiling as they went.

            "Here comes trouble." Rogue said, looking towards the side of the garage. The students began to arrive and Logan grunted. He noticed his group mixed in and looked to Rogue, satisfied.  
            "Let's go before they block up the driveway."

            Rogue nodded and hopped on Logan's bike after he climbed on. He quickly fired up his hog and they roared past the other X-Men, laughing as Scott yelled at them for not wearing helmets in front of the students.

*              *              *

I tried to make Hank sound more like Hank, but I don't know if it really worked well or not. What do you guys think? How do you like the chapter? Any suggestions for the mall scene? I can't think of too many, but I'm also tired – any help would be appreciated!! Anyways, please R&R! 

If I get some nice reviews, I'll try to work on the next few chapters tomorrow and Thursday…

~*PAF*~  
Jubes


	10. Rivalries

Disclaimer: I own all of the original characters. The rest belong to Marvel.

A/N: NYFlame, since I never received any word from you, I've removed Xavier Roberts from my story. I've decided to use my own character that was originally meant for Jean's team.

A/N 2: Thanks for all of the reviews so far, guys! Please keep them coming – I love suggestions and comments!! The idea for this chapter came from NYFlame – thanks for the suggestion! I hope you enjoy what I've done with it…

A/N 3: This is just an updated version of the chapter, where I've replaced Xavier Roberts with my own character, James Cohen. Nothing else has been altered.

* * *

PART 10: Rivalries

Stephanie Jones, a telekinetic in Jean's group, watched Team Omega from across the food court. There was something about the way they walked she just didn't like. Or maybe it was that freaky Mr. Logan who taught them. She couldn't decide, but she continued to watch as they strolled by.

"Hey, Jones, what're you looking at?" Jason Carter asked. He was also in Jean's group, Team Sigma. He generated electrical plasma globules, somewhat like those of Jubilee's.

"The high and mighty." She replied with a sneer.

Jubilee sauntered over with a tray of fries and a soda just as Stephanie replied. "Who's high and mighty?" She asked, joining her team.

"Them." Steph answered, pointing towards Team Omega.

"Logan's group?" Jubes asked, munching on a cheese fry.

"Don't you mean _Mr_. Logan?" Alexandria asked with a raised eyebrow. She was the fourth member of Team Sigma and she was an animal morph. Instead of a feline, she morphed into a wolf-like creature but otherwise she passed for normal.

"No." Came Jubilee's flat reply. Alexandria and Jason shared a look, but neither said anything. Stephanie didn't seem to notice as she scanned the rest of the food court.

The fifth member of their group had disappeared with some of the other boys from the mansion, no doubt in search of the arcade. James Cohen was trying to learn about video games since he had been denied them as a child. Now, at twenty, he was eager to catch up on everything he hadn't experienced. From a small town in England, America was shockingly different and his family had been all too happy to send him away after his odd morphing powers manifested last year.

"Well I don't like them." Stephanie finally said smugly.

"You don't like anyone." Jubilee replied, sipping her ginger ale. Jason and Alexandria exchanged another surprised look, waiting for Stephanie's reply.

"Oh please, Lee." Steph groaned. "You just have some weird ass obsession or crush or some shit for that creepy Mr. Logan guy."

Jubilee locked eyes with Stephanie and she forced herself to smile.

"At least I'm not obsessed with Justin Timberlake." She replied quickly. "Besides, I'm not obsessed with Logan. He's just a good friend."

"Right." Steph spat back. "I'll believe that when hell freezes over."

"I know someone who could probably make that happen." Jubilee said with a smirk. Her thoughts drifted to her boyfriend, Bobby, who was somewhere with Hank at the moment.

"Whatever." Stephanie grumbled. "I still don't like those kids."

"Yeah, they do seem to think they're hot shit." Jason agreed, stealing a fry from Jubilee's plate.

"I guess." Alexandria shrugged. "Liz is a nice girl, though."

"No, she's a brown noser." Stephanie replied, pointing a fry at Alexandria. "All she does is suck up to that creep of a teacher. They all do."

"I'm gonna go scope out the new shoes." Jubilee announced with a bit of a snap, feeling her anger rising from the conversation. "Later."

She gracefully slid her arm through her purse and grabbed her tray with the other hand in one motion. Without another word, Jubilee walked away from the table and her team.

"She's so weird." Stephanie said. The others nodded in agreement.

"Wasn't she here a few years ago?" Jason asked.

"I think so." Alexandria replied. "Why hasn't she come up in history class?"

"We're still on how the school was founded." Stephanie said with a shrug. "We just haven't reached her yet."

"Here they come." Jason said, looking up. Logan's team walked past their table, on their way to the pizza place.

Stephanie smiled and winked at her teammates.

"Watch this."

Alexandria and Jason turned to watch the group as Stephanie squinted in concentration.

"What're you doing?" Jason asked, eyes locked on Team Omega.

"I've been practicing." She said just as Liz's image inducer floated gently out of her pocket. With a clenched fist, Stephanie crushed the image inducer.

Suddenly, a woman screamed and people began to run away.

"What the hell?!" Liz exclaimed, whipping around. She looked down at herself and cringed. Her fur was clearly visible now and her teammates looked at her shocked.

"We need to get out of here." Shawn said, looking around the food court for a fast escape.

"I don't think you need to go anywhere." Stephanie said. Jason and Alexandria flanked her as they approached the group.

"You did this!" Justin said, picking up the destroyed image inducer.

"So what if I did." Steph shot back. "You guys need to be taken down a notch."

Kyoko stepped forward, anger clearly in her eyes. "There are three of you and five of us. Do you really think you can intimidate us?"

Stephanie's eyes squinted again and suddenly Kyoko was thrown back about ten feet.

"What do you think now?"

"Kyoko!" Justin called out, rushing towards her. She shook her head and looked up, blinking several times.

"I'm fine." She said shakily.

Alexandria looked panicked but Jason's eyes began to glow. She glanced at him and realized she was in this, too. Her canine teeth grew a little longer and a low growl came from her throat.

Liz quickly followed suit and her fur ruffled up on her back. Alexandria clicked off her image inducer and her nails began to thicken into claws. Her body began to grow fur and she quickly transformed into her lupine form. Elizabeth charged her and they toppled to the ground, clawing and snapping at each other like animals.

Galiana rushed towards Stephanie and shoved her back. Thanks to her strength, Galiana succeeded in throwing Stephanie half way across the food court. She slammed into a pole and cried out in pain. She quickly focused on the nearest table and sent it flying at Galiana. It slammed into her face and she was thrown back, crashing through another table in the process.

Seeing Galiana fall, Shawn quickly ran towards Stephanie but was stopped as he hit an invisible wall of telekinetic energy. Concentrating, he morphed his body and was two times larger. Pushing against the field, he could see Stephanie straining. While she could throw things around, she was still new to telekinesis and didn't have the stamina to keep the field up for long. Within seconds, she screamed out as her concentration failed and Shawn broke through the field. His body returned to normal as he ran towards her. He punched her nose and felt a satisfying crack.

"You brok'th my nose!" She screamed, holding her nose as it bled heavily.

Justin looked at Jason and knew he was in trouble. They had similar powers, but Jason could control his much better. Justin saw the electrical energy crackling in Jason's eyes and stepped back. Grabbing Justin's arm as she stood, Kyoko's hand began to glow bright purple and she threw a globule of purple energy towards a chair. It was engulfed and disappeared. It reappeared overhead and came down on Jason just as his eyes crackled intensely with power. He fell to the ground in a heap and didn't move.

"Enough!" Jean yelled from the entrance to the food court. She was hovering in a fiery halo and was seething with anger. Logan and Rogue showed up seconds later, both with scowls on their faces.

Rogue quickly took off and separated Liz and Alexandria. Both girls were covered in claw and teeth marks. Blood stained their fur and they continued to glare at each other. Meanwhile, Jean focused and hid the scene from the mall cops just as they turned the corner. She froze them in place and quickly made her way towards her students.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Logan demanded as the students separated into their teams. Jason was still unconscious on the floor and Rogue checked his pulse. She nodded up to Logan and he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"It's nothing, sir." Liz replied, rubbing her side.

"It sure doesn't look like 'nothing'." He nearly spat. His team all looked down at the floor and didn't meet his eyes again.

Galiana's nose was bleeding heavily and her cheekbone was broken. Elizabeth was covered in gashes and Kyoko rubbed the back of her head. Shawn and Justin were the only ones who weren't hurt. Stephanie held her broken nose as blood streamed down her face. Alexandria morphed back to her normal form and the cuts were much deeper than they first appeared.

"Rogue, get the van ready." Jean ordered, joining Logan. She tossed Rogue the keys and the Southern Belle flew off towards the exit. Jean's eyes were glowing reddish orange with power and her hair was burning. It was a sign that she was concentrating more so than usual. Without asking, Logan knew she had telepathically frozen the other occupants of the mall.

They both looked at their students and couldn't think of a single thing to say. Just as Jean was about to admonish them, Hank and Bobby showed up but Scott was nowhere to be seen. Sending a quick thought to her husband, Jean relaxed slightly. As soon as she had alerted him to the trouble, he had ordered the rest of the student body to go outside and he was still with them. She gave him a quick update and then turned back to her battered students.

Hank quickly checked on Jason just as he was waking up and then he looked over the girls. He didn't say a word to any of them as he checked on their injuries. He knew they would be in enough trouble tonight without him making comments.

"Where's Jubilee and James?" Jean asked the girls through gritted teeth.

"We don't know." Alexandria replied, wincing as Hank checked a particularly nasty cut on her arm. "They weren't with us."

Jean nodded, knowing she was telling the truth.

"I need to stitch some of them up." Hank said to Jean and Logan. He was using simple words, knowing they didn't have the patience for his normal vocabulary. "It would be much easier to do that in the med lab than here." Jean nodded and wanted to smile at his sarcasm, but she was too angry. Logan read her body language easily and took over so she wouldn't set them all on fire.

"Let's go." Logan ordered with a deep growl, pointing towards the entrance of the mall. "We'll deal with all of you back at the school."

* * *

So, what did you guys think?? Please R&R! Any other suggestions would be great, too!

PAF  
Jubes


	11. Confessions of a Stormy Mind

Author's Note: I know I know, I've been away for so long! I've always been bad at updating – sorry about that. I can be pretty lazy when it comes down to it! Hehehe…anyways, here's chapter 11…enjoy! Oh and I'm using the horizonal bar thing to denote a change in time or scene since my little asterics (sp?) have disappeared in the "edit and preview" thing...

Disclaimer: I own the kids, that's about it…Marvel owns the rest…

* * *

PART 11: Confessions of a Stormy Mind

Hank had ushered the injured students into the Med Lab, scowling at Logan and Jean. They both knew what that look meant. They weren't going to talk to their students until he was sure they were fine. Effectively locked out of the Med Lab, Jean and Logan walked back to where Justin and Shawn stood, waiting.

Logan turned his attention towards Justin and Shawn, a cigar clenched between his teeth. Jean also followed his gaze and looked at the young men. They were both staring at their feet. Logan knew Shawn could feel their emotions and he saw the boy shake slightly.

"I don't need to tell you how many rules you broke tonight. I don't need to tell you that yer gonna be hurtin' fer this fer a long time. Yer both smart, so I know I don't need t'tell you how angry and disappointed I am right now." They continued to look down and Logan sighed deeply. "Go to yer dorm." Logan finally said. "I'll deal with you in the morning."

"Yes sir." They mumbled together. After a quick glance at the Med Lab door, Shawn followed Justin, shivering slightly.

"What on earth were they thinking?" Jean finally said, leaning against the wall. "We've warned them about using their powers in public countless times!"

"They're kids." Logan replied simply. "They don't listen."

Jean looked up at him and smiled, knowing he was attempting to be sarcastic. She knew he was disappointed in them and she shared the same feeling.

"What should we do about this?" Jean finally asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"We should probably figure that out." Logan said, chewing on the unlit cigar. "Wanna head t'yer office and talk about this?"

Jean looked at Logan and was surprised but also impressed. He wasn't going to scream and yell. Well, at least not tonight. He really wanted to talk about the students with her.

"Yes, I think that sounds like a wonderful idea." She nodded, cracking her neck. Logan cringed slightly and Jean laughed. He never liked the sound of her neck cracking and she found it cute, in a way - especially since he cracked his neck all the time.

* * *

Ororo sat at her desk, her back to the door. Her lesson plan was sprawled in front of her, but she had done very little work on it. Jean had alerted her to the situation with the students when they returned, but she had remained in the loft. An extra body would only get in the way. Besides, she had a lot on her mind. Ororo had finally decided it would be best if she was straight forward with Logan. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she knew Logan would be tired and in a dreadful mood. But it had been far too long.

_Eight days and counting,_ she reminded herself. Ororo sighed. She knew she had to tell him now, while she had the nerve. Feeling ashamed for hiding the bad news from her husband, Ororo pushed away the lesson plan in disgust. How old was she? Nearly twenty-nine and she was acting like a teenager? It was ridiculous.

An hour after Jean's telepathic report, Ororo heard Logan coming up the loft stairs and took a steadying breath.

_Now or never_, she thought. _I cannot make any more excuses._

"Logan," She began without turning around. "I know it's been a long night for you, but I need to speak with you."

Logan heard the words as he stepped on the top stair and cringed slightly. He just wanted to sleep, but the tone in his wife's voice meant business. It was the "leader tone" and he couldn't argue with it. He had tried many times in the past and failed miserably each time.

"What about?" Logan asked casually. Logan could always tell when Ororo was no longer his wife, but his leader. If she was going to be Storm tonight, he would have to be Wolverine. Emotions had to be checked at the door whenever the switch was made.

Ororo took a deep breath and turned in her seat. One hand remained on the back of the chair while she turned her eyes to his.

"About why I really went to Tokyo." She said evenly.

If Logan was surprised, Ororo couldn't tell. His face didn't reveal anything. Ororo quickly realized he was doing the same thing she was. He had put on his "game face", as Jubilee always called it.

Wolverine didn't reply, but continued to look at Storm, waiting. She stood up and crossed the room to her plants, watering them as she spoke.

"While I did see Yukio, I went to Tokyo to see a specialist." She began. "Henry set up the appointment for me after the second miscarriage."

At the mention of the miscarriage, Logan felt his heart skip. It was still painful to think about, but he pushed the emotion down and continued to watch Ororo.

"There is no easy way to say this." Ororo paused, twirling a branch of ivy around her slender fingers. "I am barren." She finally said. Her tone was controlled and flat, showing no emotion. Feeling as if the world had been lifted from her shoulders, she turned to face Logan only to have the world come crashing down again. While her eyes were clouded over in white as she looked at her husband, the pained expression on his face was very clear.

Logan looked away from Ororo and found his eyes wondering to the corner of the loft they had set aside for a nursery during her first pregnancy. And again in her second.

"Are they sure?" His voice sounded foreign to him, shaken and sad.

"Yes." Ororo replied. She wrapped her arms around her stomach in a somewhat protective manner. "They said it's because of my mutation."

Logan's eyes met hers and she saw the briefest look of confusion followed by a smirk. He finally ran his hand through his hair and let out a deep sigh.

"Are you ok?"

"I have dealt with it." Ororo replied simply. She took a step closer to Logan, concern finally showing on her features. Her eyes swirled for a moment before revealing blue irises.

"Ironic, ain't it?" He grunted. "The world's finally calmed down enough so we can have a family and our genes fuck us."

"Not yours." Ororo replied softly, gently resting her hand on his arm.

"Yours, mine. What's the difference?" He asked bluntly. His fingers brushed over her hand and then he stepped away from Ororo's warmth.

Logan's mind was reeling with this information. It hurt to think about it. He wasn't even angry that Ororo had kept the information from him. At least, not yet. It still hadn't hit him.

"I need to…"

"Go out." Ororo finished. "Yes, I know. I'll be here when you get home, love."

Logan looked at Ororo and kissed her softly.

"I'll be home later, darling'." He whispered in her ear.

Logan brushed by her hastily, knowing she understood his need to be alone. After all, that's why she went to Tokyo without him. This need for solitude in times of pain was something they both shared.

The loft door closed with a soft click just as Ororo let a tear roll down her cheek.

* * *

Wolverine walked towards the women's dormitory with his sword clenched in his fist. He had gone to the storage room above the men's dorm to retrieve his katana knowing he would easily find a partner to spar with. He stopped outside of the door he had stopped at so many times before and hesitated for the briefest of moments. After inhaling deeply and smiling slightly, Logan raised his hand to the door and knocked twice.

"It's open, Wolvie." Jubilee replied from inside. He smiled to himself. She was the only one in the house who didn't yell when he knocked, knowing it wasn't necessary. She recognized his knock just as easily as he did hers.

He stepped into her room and quickly took in the new decorations she had recently put up. Jubilee was certainly growing up, he noted to himself. The walls were no longer covered in brightly colored posters of rock'n'roll bands. Instead, a soft green paint covered her walls and a collection of pictures hung around the room. He noted a few pictures from when she first joined them and saw she also had some Gen-X photos up. Otherwise, she had current pictures of the X-Men dotting the walls. Her bed was no longer covered in a polka-dotted comforter, much to his relief. A green and yellow striped comforter and matching pillows were carefully arranged on her bed. The clothes that normally littered her floor were now sticking out of a hamper in the corner.

"Ya cleaned it up nice." He commented.

"Thanks." She replied.

Jubilee had her back to Logan while she typed up the finishing touches on a report on lupine transformations for Hank. She was sitting at her desk, which was still cluttered despite the rest of the room. Logan shook his head, amused. While she tried desperately to be cleaner these days, some remnants of her child-hood ways were still present.

Typing the final word with a flourish, Jubilee hit the save button and closed her laptop with a satisfied smile.

"Took ya long enough to come visit, ya big lug." She said, finally turning to face her long-time friend and partner.

One look at his face and Jubilee was on her feet, crossing the room to him. She reached around his waist and pulled him into a hug. They were the same height, much to Jubilee's chagrin, but she was always glad she didn't have to reach down to hug him. Logan hesitated for a moment but then wrapped his arms around the young woman.

Jubilee was always able to read him like a book, something the other women in his life could never do. Even Ororo had trouble figuring him out sometimes, but it never really bothered him. His relationship with Jubilee was something different. It was predictable, to a tee. He liked the uncertainty when it came to Ororo, it made things more interesting. Plus, he liked to tease her from time to time that she had no idea what he was thinking.

Jubilee stepped back a minute later and looked at him with a sad smile on her face.

"Lemme grab my sword." She said simply, stepping towards the other side of her room. Logan noticed, with pride, she had her sword properly hung on the wall in its case. He had bought her that sword on his last trip to Japan a year ago and had been teaching her to use it since. Jubilee was a fast learner when she wanted to be and Logan was extremely pleased with her progress thus far. She still took private lessons with him twice a week, despite their hectic schedules now.

Jubilation quickly stepped towards her bureau and pulled out a pair of sweat pants and a plain white tank top. Without shame or modesty, Jubilee stripped down to her underwear in front of Logan. Rolling his eyes, Logan began to turn when his eyes flickered to her back.

"What's that?" He demanded.

Jubilee gasped and her hand flew to the fresh tattoo ink on her back.

_How could I be so stupid!_ She thought angrily.

"Well?"

"A tattoo." She replied slowly, pulling her pants on. Jubilee heard Logan advance and knew he was staring at the rather large tattoo that now resided on the middle of her back. She had got it done nearly two weeks ago on a whim when she was out with Bobby on a date. "Do you like it?"

Logan didn't answer right away. He was studying the image carefully. It was a large, green and blue Chinese-style dragon. It was thin and wiry, but the design seemed to flow down the length of her back. It started nearly the nape of her neck and went down to the top of her buttocks. The stomach was a reddish-orange color and Logan had to admit that he was impressed by the whole design.

"Yeah." He finally answered.

"Watch it when I move." She said, moving slightly. The dragon seemed to move with her movements and Logan nodded in approval.

"That's good work." Logan said, stepping back while she pulled on her shirt. "Who took you to get it?" He knew it had to be Bobby, but he enjoyed taunting her whenever he could.

"Who do you think?" Jubilee replied, amused. "You'll have to try harder to annoy me today, Wolvster. My teammates have done a fine job of that already."

Logan growled in response, a scowl setting on his face.

"C'mon." Jubilee said, walking to the door. "It's late, so no one should be in the Danger Room."

Logan nodded and followed her out of her room. He knew she would go to bed when she was tired, so he didn't feel bad sparring with her so late. Plus, he mused, it was a Friday night. He also had a feeling Hank wouldn't let his students out of the infirmary until mid-morning just to irk him.

They entered the empty Danger Room moments later and Logan called up the dojo they usually sparred in. After stretching, they met in the middle of the room and drew their swords, ready to fight.

* * *

What do you think?? Since I don't have a job yet, hopefully I'll have some more time to write up the next chapter…but I'd love some encouragement!! ;-) Please R&R!

PAF

Jubes


	12. Repercussions

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, folks…I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Please let me know – aka, review!! ;-)

Disclaimer: I only own my students…the X-Men aren't mine…

* * *

PART 12: Repercussions

Jubilee was the first to attack and was effortlessly blocked by Logan. She continued to press her attack, each time the blades collided, blocking her efforts. The sound of metal-on-metal continued to echo in the room, accompanied by heavy breathing and grunts of effort. No words were spoken, which was the norm for them. Logan would critique her performance afterwards.

Usually, they would spar until Jubilee had accumulated 10 small cuts on her arms and legs. While they were made with the sharp blade of Logan's katana, they were no deeper than a small paper cut. Logan would tag her in this way to show where he was able to break through her defenses. So far, she hadn't been able to tag him once. It had been nearly a year and she never got him. She was beginning to think she never would.

Tonight was different. Jubilee could tell he wasn't counting cuts tonight. This was just an exercise to release some steam. He was counter-attacking with more fervor than usual and she was having a harder time defending herself. But she felt more alive than she had in days. Schoolwork, teaching and training sessions with her annoying teammates had become her routine. Her days were sucked away from 7am until nearly 8pm when she would finish her homework. After that, she had little time to spend with Bobby and all she wanted to do was sleep. It had been sucking the life out of her, to be honest.

But fighting with her Wolvie was exactly what she needed. Her attention was peaked and her reflexes were nearly perfect. She didn't have to think, just act. It thrilled her to hone this ability where her thoughts and actions were becoming one. Logan had been teaching her to do it since they first met, but the lessons had become more intense over the past year. Jubilee was getting much better at it lately, but she knew that she had meditation to thank for that. She finally started taking it seriously a few months ago and was getting really good at it.

She felt the flesh on her arm twinge in pain and grimaced. He had got her pretty good that time. Angry at herself, Jubilee doubled her efforts.

This continued for the next two hours. Logan would tag her quickly and precisely and then Jubilee would try harder to hit him. She was covered in small nicks and cuts. She had small blood stains on her shirt from where he tagged her stomach and back, which was unusual. Small holes were in her pants now and Jubilee cursed at herself for wearing them.

"So," Jubilee ventured as she swung her blade gracefully toward Logan's head. "What did you and Storm fight about this time?"

Logan didn't reply but deflected her blade and swept her legs out from under her. His blade was at her throat in a manner of milliseconds.

Jubilee looked up at Logan and held her breath. There was something dangerous in the way he looked at her and she realized she had hit a nerve. Angry, Logan lowered his blade and pulled her to her feet forcefully.

She rubbed her arm where his strong grip had yanked her up and looked at him. Her expression was somewhere between confusion and annoyance. Logan's eyes flickered to her arm and back to her face.

"Sorry." He said, stepping back slightly.

"Spill it." Jubilee demanded, sheathing her sword. Logan turned to retrieve his sword's casing and closed his eyes for a long moment.

"'Ro can't have kids."

Jubilee's face fell and her mouth hung open ever-so-slightly. She was rooted to her spot, the information hitting her fully. Swallowing, Jubilee blinked back a tear and reached out to Logan's arm.

The warm touch of Jubilee's slender fingers on his hairy arm surprised him slightly. Logan almost pulled away. Her hand firmly squeezed his arm and that's when he felt it – a wave of comfort washed over him. Surprised at the sensation, Logan finally turned around to look at his protégé.

"Wha-" He began.

"I'm so sorry, Wolvie." Jubilation cut him off, stepping into his arms.

Logan wrapped his arms around her, confused. Jubilee clearly didn't know the affect she just had on him. In fact, she didn't seem to think anything had happened at all when she touched his arm.

They stood like that for a long time. Neither spoke – words weren't necessary. Suddenly, the doors to the Danger Room swished open and they jumped apart, surprised. Remy sauntered in, clearly amused about something, and looked at his friends.

"Didn' mean t'interrupt." He drawled with a crooked smile on his face.

"Riiiiight." Jubilee grumbled. She grabbed her sword and waited while Logan did the same.

"You get kicked outta the River Rat's room again?" Logan teased.

"Per'aps you should mind yo'business, mon ami, since Remy can't help but notice dat you're down here and not up in de loft." Remy said, his eyes flashing angrily.

Logan chuckled and draped his arm around Jubilee's shoulders casually.

"Thought so." He simply replied, walking away while Jubilee laughed.

* * *

The next morning…

"This isn't over." Alexandria growled out of the corner of her mouth. Elizabeth glowered in response but didn't reply. They had just been let out of the Med Lab and it wouldn't help their situation to get in another fight right away.

The teams split apart at the elevators, leaving Elizabeth, Kyoko and Galiana alone in the corridor.

"How're you guys feeling?" Elizabeth asked as they waited for the second elevator to descend.

"My head still hurts." Kyoko commented.

"Ja." Galiana nodded. "I'm just sore now."

"Me too." Elizabeth said, stepping into the empty elevator. "Dr. McCoy said I'll have my stitches for another two weeks or so."

The three girls slowly made their way through the main house. Hoping to avoid Logan at all costs, they carefully navigated their way to the back patio. Unfortunately, the teachers were all outside by the pool along with a good number of students. By the looks of things, Ororo had raised the temperature since it was mid-September.

They easily saw Logan, dressed in a black tank top and jeans. He had a cowboy hat on with a cigar clenched in his teeth. He was talking with Kitty Pride and Rogue, but they knew he would eventually notice them.

Logan caught their scents on a soft breeze and glanced at them. Kyoko didn't have any bandages, but Galiana had a few small bandages on her arms. He also noticed that her face was bruised badly. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was covered in large bandages and her left eye was swollen. They each moved gingerly, and Elizabeth winced a few times.

Knowing they couldn't avoid their teacher, the girls slowly walked towards the pool area. Logan walked towards them and motioned to the garden that was off to the side. He didn't need the other students over-hearing their conversation.

"Hello girls." He greeted as they met on the garden path. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine." They said in unison.

"We need to talk."

Elizabeth glanced at her teammates and they all cringed. Logan began to walk towards the center of the garden slowly and they followed him. He stopped around the water fountain that was the center of the flower garden and turned to face them.

"Yer all on probation." He began, placing his foot on the edge of the fountain. "This means, for one thing, you're not allowed to leave the campus fer the rest of the semester."

"The whole semester?" Galiana said in a whisper.

"Yeah." He replied, glaring at them angrily. "You'll have extra training sessions on the weekends, starting next weekend. They'll start at seven in the mornin' and end when I'm satisfied."

The girls didn't say anything, but they each nodded.

"You'll also be pulling guard duty with Bishop on Friday nights." Logan continued. "That way you can learn about the school's grounds. Maybe then you'll appreciate this place a little bit more and not risk exposing it to the public."

He said the last sentence with a snap and puffed his cigar.

"Mr. Logan, we didn't start the fight." Elizabeth began. She started to continue when Logan raised his hand.

"Excuses are the last thing I want to hear from you." He growled at her. "You all acted like a bunch of children. I've tried to treat you with respect, like adults, but now I see that was a mistake. Until you prove you can act like adults, you'll be treated like the children you are."

Galiana and Elizabeth looked down at the ground, ashamed. Galiana was fighting back tears and Elizabeth was doing the same. Kyoko was the only one who continued to look Logan in the eye.

"You all have power and you also have the responsibility to use it properly. Throwin' down with other students in a friggin' food court is not what I'd call responsible!" He snapped. "Yer just lucky none of you were seriously injured. Fighting with other students is bad enough, but in public is unacceptable. None of you are properly trained in yer powers. You won't be for at least another three years!"

Logan paused, taking a breath. He was incredibly angry with the girls and he had already lectured Shawn and Justin this morning. Looking at them, Logan willed himself to calm down. He didn't need three crying girls on his hands.

"Well?" Logan finally asked, the edge still in his voice. "Do you have anything t'say about this?"

"We're sorry." Elizabeth muttered.

"What about you two?" He said, looking at Kyoko and Galiana.

"What about Sigma?" Kyoko asked, still keeping her eyes locked on Logan's.

"I wouldn't worry about them." He replied gruffly. "I think you've got enough on yer plate."

"Are Shawn and Justin ok?" Galiana asked, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Tears were still dripping down her face despite her best efforts.

"They're both fine." Logan said in a softer tone. He dropped his foot and sat on the edge of the cement fountain.

"Is that all, sir?" Elizabeth asked. She just wanted to climb into her bed and forget the last 24 hours.

"Yeah." Logan said simply. Elizabeth nodded and quickly left, followed by Kyoko. Galiana seemed rooted to her spot.

"I'm really sorry." She said, her voice barely audible. Logan ran his hand through his hair and stood up. Her voice was very shaky when she continued. "I really didn't mean to fight vith zem."

"I know ya didn't, darlin'." Logan said, stepping closer to his crying student. Galiana looked up at him with tears streaking her cheeks and she trembled.

"Maybe I should go home." Galiana sobbed.

Instead of saying anything, Logan gently pulled her into his arms and she cried on his shoulder.

"There's no need t'go home, Galiana." He said. "You guys just made a mistake. O'course, it was a big one but it's no reason t'leave the school."

Galiana nodded and pulled back, hurriedly wiping her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Logan. I didn't mean to cry on you." She said, stepping back.

"Don't worry. It happens t'the best of us."

Galiana smiled through her tears and nodded.

"C'mon." Logan said, ushering her towards the pool. "Let's get you something t'eat."

"Ja, I am a little hungry." She said with a bigger smile.

Logan laughed at himself inside. He was always amazed at the ability of teenaged girls to cool his temper. Kitty and Jubilee always had the same effect. He shook his head as he followed Galiana back to the pool.

_It's impossible to stay pissed at my kids_, he thought. His step faltered for a moment as he just realized what thought went through his mind.

_His_ kids? Where had that come from?

Feeling a pain in his heart, Logan walked back with his student, deep in thought.

* * *

Please review and let me know what you guys think! I'm having a hard time with the next chapter, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

PAF

Jubes


	13. Inner Turmoil

A/N: Njong, I had them jump apart because they were both surprised at the intrusion. Nothing more, nothing less.

This chapter has a lot of Jubes in it, again, but I promise I will get back to Logan's students in the next chapter. I'm just attempting to build some problems within the teams with this one…enjoy!

Oh and the italics in the final section of this chapter indicate a flashback...

Disclaimer: Same old, same old...

* * *

PART 13: Inner Turmoil

Jubilee stood on the balance beam, getting ready to do a series of flips. The door opened behind her and she looked over her shoulder to see who came in. A scowl crossed her face as Stephanie walked in.

"You got some nerve." Stephanie said, looking at Jubilee with disdain.

"What's your issue, Jones?" Jubilee spat out. She still stood on the beam with perfect balance, waiting to hear this answer.

"Your team gets in a tussle and you don't even check on any of us." The other girl replied irritably.

"Whatever." Jubilee replied, rolling her eyes. "You guys fought for no good reason and I should feel compassion? Not likely."

"What is with you?" Steph shouted. "You should've been there, backing us up!"

"Backing you up? Are you serious?!" Jubilee yelled in return.

"I thought we were supposed to be a team!"

"Yeah, but not a team of morons! What you guys did was just stupid, plain and simple!" She shouted. "You guys acted like spoiled kids!"

"Well, you would know, wouldn't you?" Steph snapped.

"I'm not spoiled." Jubilee said loudly. "But you _are_ a bitch!"

"Fuck you, Lee!" Steph screamed. Jubilee felt her telekinetic push and knew she was in trouble. She went flying through the air and was slammed into the weights on the other side of the room. Jubilee felt something snap in her chest and knew a rib was broken.

"You don't wanna start shit you can't end, Jones!" Jubilee said, standing up quickly.

"Like I'm afraid of you and your worthless fireworks!"

"As if I would waste my powers on you!"

"Oh, let me guess, Lee! Your precious _Logan_ taught you how to fight, right? Ha! I doubt that old creep could teach anyone anything at all!"

Jubilee's face screwed up in anger and she ran towards Stephanie at full tilt. Steph, who still couldn't do much with her telekinesis yet, panicked and stepped back. Jubilee connected perfectly with Stephanie's already broken nose, causing her to scream out in pain.

Stephanie fell backwards and concentrated as hard as she could, despite the white hot pain shooting through her face. Jubilee's leg was suddenly wrenched behind her at a horrible angle and she fell forward, hearing a second, much louder snapping noise.

Jubilee screamed out in pain and, twisting slightly, looked down at her leg in horror. Stephanie stood then and ran from the room, holding her bleeding nose.

"WOLVIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!" Jubilee howled, tears streaming down her face.

* * *

Logan was rubbing Ororo's shoulders by the lake, trying to shake off the thought he had about the students a few minutes before. When he had returned with Galiana, Logan left her with her classmates and found his wife talking to Jean about the mall fiasco. One look was exchanged between them and Ororo had ended the conversation to move closer to her husband. Ororo could tell something was on his mind, but when she asked he told her they'd talk about it later. Of course, that meant he didn't want anyone overhearing their conversation so his wife had simply nodded. 

They broke away from the rest of their friends and walked down to the lake together. Now they were sitting on the dock, her feet dangling in the water while Logan sat behind her.

"So how are your students?" She asked to break the silence.

"Not bad." He replied, kissing the back of her neck softly. "A little sore, but nothing life-threatenin'."

Ororo leaned back into his chest, and caused a small breeze to come off the lake towards them.

"You were troubled a moment ago." She ventured.

"Yeah." He replied, glancing around. "Just a weird thought, is all."

"I cannot read minds, love."

Logan smiled and kissed her neck again, leaning his chin on her shoulder.

"I'm gettin' attached to these kids." He finally said softly in her ear.

"You were always good with teenagers, old friend."

"Yeah, I know, but this is different." Logan breathed deeply and leaned back on his hands.

Ororo glanced over her shoulder and waited for him to continue. Most of the time he spoke his mind freely, but she could tell this was different. It was like pulling teeth, she realized. The expression had never made much sense before now and she almost smiled.

"I'm startin' to think of 'em as my own." Logan admitted with a slightly pained expression on his face.

Before the weather goddess could reply, Logan whipped his head towards the mansion. His little girl was in pain, screaming his name.

"Jubilee!" He exclaimed, jumping up and running back towards the house. Ororo was fast behind, flying low to the ground, without a second thought.

"Hank, it's Jubilee!" Logan called to the blue doctor, not pausing in his stride. Upon hearing these words, Hank dropped his fork and ran after them, Bobby hot on his heels.

Logan pulled open the French doors and paused, searching for her scent. He thought she had been outside with them, but her scent was too stale by the doors for that. Advancing towards the elevators, Logan caught her fresh scent and began racing to the elevators.

The other three X-Men followed his lead without question. They ran down the corridor as soon as the elevator doors opened on the level below. Logan noticed another fresh scent, mixed with blood, and noted it was one of Jean's students.

Pulling open the gymnasium doors, Logan felt his throat tighten at the sight of Jubilation Lee, clutching her leg, screaming in pain.

* * *

The longest five minutes of her life passed by before Logan burst through the door, followed closely by Hank and Bobby. Ororo followed them, concern clearly etched on her face. 

"Jubes!" Bobby called, sliding onto the floor next to her.

"Oh my stars and garters." Hank said, looking to her leg.

Logan saw it and cringed. A bone was sticking out through the skin in her shin. Jubilee grasped onto Logan's hand and cried out in pain.

"Jubilation, listen to me." He said quietly in her ear. "Listen to me. You need to meditate. Open yer mind and focus."

He continued to repeat these instructions while Hank sliced off her sweat pants from her injured leg. Quickly, Jubilee's breathing slowed down and her eyes were closed. Her body relaxed and Logan looked to Hank.

"If we're movin' her, let's do it now."

"How did you do that?" Bobby asked as Hank lifted Jubilee carefully into his arms.

"Do what?" Logan asked, glancing around the room.

"Get her to focus." He replied. At first, Logan thought he was joking but upon looking at Bobby's face, Logan knew it was a real question.

"Years o'practice and patience." Logan replied, holding the door open for Hank.

* * *

  
Two hours later… 

"Hey, can ya hear me?" A deep voice said. "You're gonna be alright."

The words took a long time to register in Jubilation's foggy brain. She was doped up and just waking up from the surgery. The voice kept saying the same thing over and over, so she decided it was time to reply.

"Jeeze, dad, I heard you the first time." Jubilee replied sleepily.

Logan felt his heart stop, he was almost positive. He looked down at Jubilee's glossy eyes and slowly stroked her face.

"What did you say?" He finally asked.

"Dad…" She yawned. "I'm fine. Go check on 'Ro."

Jubilee smiled slightly and then shut her eyes, letting the sleep take over. Logan sat there, looking completely dumbfounded.

Hank came into the Med Lab after cleaning up the operating table and starting making notes in a chart. His eyes finally wandered over to Logan and he raised an eyebrow.

"Logan, is everything alright?" He asked, sitting the pen behind his ear.

"She'll be confused from the drugs, right?"

"It sometimes happens, yes." Hank replied. "It won't last for very long, but some people react to the drugs differently."

"She woke up for a minute there, not makin' too much sense." Logan said, standing up. "Call me when she wakes up?"

"Of course." Henry said, sliding the chart into the slot on her bed. "Jubilation should be asleep for a few more hours at least."

"I gotta talk to Jeannie." Logan said, walking out of the Med Lab. Just as he was walking out, Stephanie Jones was walking in. Her scent matched the one from the corridor and gymnasium that he picked up earlier. The blood that was still on her face was dried and cracked. She looked at Logan nervously and then scooted into the Lab.

He knew she and Jubilee had fought. But they were Jean's students, so he couldn't do anything about it just yet. Jean already knew what had happened and, after yelling at Jones for a long time, finally sent her to the infirmary.

* * *

"I can't believe we're grounded." Shawn said to Galiana and Kyoko. After their conversation with Logan, they had joined the others by the pool. Elizabeth had disappeared and Justin was nowhere to be found.

"I can." Kyoko said, looking at her hands. "How could we be so stupid?"

Galiana sighed and Shawn shrugged.

"They attacked us." Galiana replied. "What were we supposed to do?"

"Perhaps walking away would have been a good choice." Hank said, walking over to his patients.

They all looked up at the furry doctor and smiled.

"How are you feeling?" He asked the girls around a mouthful of hamburger.

"Better." Kyoko replied.

"Ok." Galiana said.

"Superb." The good doctor said, wiping the mustard from the corner of his mouth. "I would advocate you three to attempt to have a jovial time at present, as I do believe it will be one of your final chances for the remainder of the term."

They all nodded. Satisfied, Hank sauntered towards Bobby, intent on shoving him into the pool.

"I wonder how the other team is doing." Shawn finally said, looking around. He noticed none of them were outside.

"That Jones girl has a broken nose." Kyoko said. "And I think the others just have some stitches."

"What a shame." Shawn said, winking at them. The girls both smiled.

"Let's get something to eat." Galiana suggested, pointing to the table surrounded by people.

"Yeah, before it's all gone." Shawn agreed.

* * *

Elizabeth sat in her room, tear tracks having matted down her facial fur. Mr. Logan was so angry. She could tell he had fought to control his temper, trying not to fully yell at them. It had made her nervous to be around him like that.

She had flashbacks to her own father, shuddering at the thought. The controlled anger boiled over whenever the man drank. The look on his face right before that happened mirrored the look she saw on her teacher's face today. He had abused her when she was a child for many years, but she never told anyone about it. It wasn't in her file and, as far as she knew, the only other person who knew about it was her father. He was dead now, so the secret had stayed hidden all of these years.

Elizabeth closed her eyes, trying to ignore the images that came up in her mind.

_"Daddy, don't!" An eleven-year-old Elizabeth cried, crawling away._

_ "You were supposed to clean your room today!" He roared in a drunken rage. The leather belt in his hand came crashing down on her back, causing her to scream out._

_ "But I did, Daddy, I swear!" She cried out, praying he would stop._

_ "Don't you lie to me!" He bellowed, the belt whipping his daughter again. _

_ "I was almost done when you got home." She wimpered. _

_ "I don't want to hear any excuses!" And the belt came crashing down again. "No fucking excuses!" His fist connected with her back and she screamed in pain._

_ "Daddy, please!" She cried, curling up in the corner. _

_ As the belt came down again, Elizabeth passed out from the pain._

Elizabeth opened her eyes and found fresh tears had trickled down her face. Her body trembled from the memory and she curled up in a ball on her bed. After a long time, she finally cried herself to sleep.

* * *

So, what did you guys think? Please review! My review box has been empty and I'm starting to think no one likes this story anymore...where did I go wrong? Let me know!  
  
PAF  
Jubes


	14. Interlude 2

PART 14: Interlude

A/N: IMPORTANT – This is the new chapter. Chapter 15 is the "old" Chapter 14. I realized I left out an important conversation between Ororo and Logan, so here it is.

Enjoy.

* * *

Ororo and Logan walked out of the Hank's office together, both quiet in thought. The furry doctor had told them their options in having children and they sounded rather grim. As it was early on a Sunday morning, the halls were quiet as students slept in and teachers took the chance to get away from the mansion. Slowly they made their way outside to the lake, hand in hand, and began to walk around the familiar and worn path.

"We can't have ya wearin' an inhibitor collar for nine months." Logan said after a few minutes.

"I agree. But it might be necessary if we truly want a child." The doubt in her voice raised the hairs on his neck.

"Of course I want kids with ya, darlin'. Don't you worry about that." He squeezed her hand and she smiled sadly. "We just need to find another way."

Nodding in agreement, Ororo allowed herself to be steered towards the old oak tree they often sat beneath when times called for a serious talk. As the dusty trail led away from the lake to accommodate a series of large bushes, the bushes easily hid the base of the tree from view. It was right on the water's edge, with some of the larger roots trailing into the cool water. A thick patch of grass and moss surrounded the tree, along with some water lilies and cattails along the edge of the water, creating a comfortable place to relax in the shade. It was on the far side of the small lake, tucked in a small nook the water had created. As a result, the tree was very much away from the dock and small beach and thus prying eyes.

Over the years, it had become their spot after Logan shared his secret hiding place with Ororo soon after they became serious. It was a place they could sit outside, enjoy the nature they both loved so much and talk without anyone bothering them. The other X-Men knew to stay away and had told the students that the other side of the lake was out-of-bounds, surrounded by an invisible field. Of course, as the mansion had force fields on many parts of the campus, it wasn't altogether unbelievable. At any rate, the couple was thankful for the small blessing of privacy.

Logan easily sat down and leaned against the tree, then gently pulling Ororo down to sit leaning against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist and enjoyed the feel of her soft hair on his chin. They both sat in silence, looking over the water and listening to the birds around them. They knew it couldn't last.

"What about a surrogate mother?" Ororo finally asked. It had been one of Hank's only suggestions, as their options were very few. When the doctor had mentioned it, Logan had become increasingly more uncomfortable and tensed up. Since Ororo was holding his hand during their meeting with Beast, she had noticed the change in his comfort level immediately.

And again, his body tensed slightly at the mention of it.

"Just seems wrong t'me."

"I think it might be our best option, love." Ororo said softly, her hand caressing his stomach.

"Maybe." He grudgingly agreed. "But who would do that? Isn't it a little crazy t'ask someone else to give up nine months o'their lives fer us?"

"I can easily think of someone." Ororo responded, sitting forward and turning towards him. Logan saw the way Ororo's lip twitched slightly and knew immediately who she was referring to. In fact, it was the entire reason he was unnerved by the suggestion, since he knew as well as Ororo that there was only one person who would say yes to something like this.

"No."

"Jubilation would be perfect and be happy to help us."

"She's too young. No."

"Nonsense. She's of age and has been for quite a few years. Hank even said that the younger the surrogate, the better, healthwise."

"I know that. That's not what I meant." His voice was more gruff than before and she could tell he was trying to control his temper.

Ororo moved so she was sitting across from Logan and could see his facial expressions better. It was always difficult to read him, but it certainly helped to see his eyes when trying.

"Logan, I understand your need to protect her, but she is no longer the child you found four years ago." Ororo began, picking her words carefully. "Jubilation is blossoming into a beautiful young woman and loves you dearly. I know it's a difficult thing to ask of anyone, but if anyone would say yes, it would be her."

"Don't you think that might be on the borderline of abusin' our friendship? Don't you think she'd feel guilty fer wantin' t'say no?" Logan asked, glowering at her. His voice was still low but the gravelly edge was waning and Ororo was secretly impressed that he was controlling his anger so well. "I ain't gonna ask her, Ororo, and force her inta somethin' she would say 'no' to fer anyone else. It's just not right t'guilt trip her into something so serious. The kid deserves a shot at bein' a normal teenager."

"Please, my love, I do not believe she would feel guilty in the least." Ororo countered. She leant forward and placed her hands on his knees. "And she lost any hope of having a normal life when she agreed to come back to the mansion after leaving the Massachusetts Academy. So please do not argue that she can lead a normal life in this house, because none of us can or do. However, if you asked her, she would not have any regrets about losing a potentially normal life. Jubilation loves being here and you know that. Besides, Jubilee has grown up beyond her years already and was older than twelve in terms of maturity when she found you nailed to that cross. Her teenage years are no different."

Logan remained silent as he took in his wife's calm response.

"Ya know, she once told me in a letter that I gave her life direction." Logan finally said, his eyes focused on the lake. "That if it wasn't fer the X-Men, she'd have nothing."

"At least consider it."

* * *

Please R & R...I'm working on the next installment (finally!) so I'll be posting some more soon.

Jubes


	15. Time Flies

A/N: I've decided to speed up time a bit in this chapter. In the next chapter, I'll probably focus more on each of Logan's students. I wanted to introduce a few other students, just because I feel like I've been ignoring the whole school/classes aspect here. I hope this isn't too dull. I swear, I'll have some more interesting stuff to post in the next chapter!

Thanks for all the reviews! I just wanted to address a few comments in my reviews, so here goes…

Njong – don't hide away in the corner! ;-) I'm not sure about the adoption thing in the comics, but I made Logan Jube's legal guardian in this story. However, I've always seen them as more partners than father-daughter. So, that said, the next question is: what on earth was that "Dad" stuff about last chapter, right? I haven't forgotten about that, not to worry. It's not mentioned in this chapter, but it'll come up again in chapter 15 where some answers about the whole "dad/legal guardian" thing will hopefully be resolved.

LittleTree – I hope you meant you hated Stephanie and not Elizabeth! Elizabeth is the feline metamorph on Logan's team and I'm hoping people like her!

wordman – I'm glad you enjoy the "human" Wolverine. I don't like it when writers focus on the animal side of his personality instead of the human one, so I try to always keep that side in the forefront of any story I write.

Blix – thanks, as always, for such words of praise. Like I said, I'll be delving into the "Dad" thing next chapter along with a few other things, but I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you've enjoyed the rest!

A/N 2: THIS IS JUST A REPOST. This was originally Part 14, but I realized I didn't include a conversation that was needed before this segment. Sorry for the confusion!

* * *

PART 15: Time Flies When You're Having Fun

The next six weeks seemed to fly by for Logan's and Jean's students. Stephanie Jones and Jubilee had been given extra school work as a result of their fight. The others were extremely busy with guard duty and extra sessions on the weekends to really worry about starting another fight. Luckily, the Danger Room was large enough to be split in half with a fake wall and still allow training sessions without the groups having to see each other.

Lately, however, the students hadn't been training in their groups during the week. They were put in groups of people with similar abilities learning from X-Men who shared their powers. Jean had decided it was time to break up the groups and try to create friendships outside of the teams. The incident at the mall had sparked the idea and the fight between Jubilee and Stephanie only solidified the plan. Plus, she figured it would help them work together as a team if they got trained by people with similar abilities before being teamed with others.

Galiana was currently with the other flyers outside under Rogue's and Warren's tutelage. Likewise, Shawn was with the other psychics in a session with Jean and Betsy. While Shawn was primarily an omnimorph, they wanted him to get control over his empathy before concentrating on his morphing abilities. Galiana was also showing potential as a low-level telepath, but so far nothing of that nature had manifested. Jean thought it may be a latent talent, which might never show up in her but in her children. Of course, it could also show up one day unexpectedly, so Logan had been watching her closely for signs of headaches.

Justin was studying under Ororo, along with a few other students who wielded electrical-based energies. He was doing better, but Ororo knew it would take many months before he was comfortable enough to use his abilities freely. Kyoko, being the only one who could teleport objects in the school, was working with Kurt to increase her accuracy and distance. They had also tried moving very heavy objects, but so far she couldn't teleport anything over fifteen pounds.

This left Logan in charge of those with super-senses, healing factors and animal morphing powers. Since they no longer had an animamorph on staff, Logan was elected to help them out. Elizabeth was in his group, as was Alexandria. They were the only animamorphs in the school. Of course, he found it ironic and almost amusing that Elizabeth morphed into a feline form while Alexandria was lupine. They still didn't get along and he kept thinking about the old saying, 'fighting like cats and dogs'. He only had two other students Isabella, who was on Ororo's team, and Bruce, from Warren's team. Isabella had an accelerated healing factor that rivaled Logan's and she also had delicate wings that were housed under her skin. When needed, they would erupt from her back and her healing factor would knit her wounds closed. Bruce had superhuman agility and speed that was similar to Elizabeth's and Alexandria's while they were in animal form. Since Kurt was trying to help Kyoko out, Logan had offered to train Bruce with the girls.

Logan stood on the damp grass outside, waiting for his students to arrive. They had Strength and Muscle Training with Gambit from 7am until 8:30am every morning. These training sessions followed from 9am until 10:30am. After that, they had Mutant Physiology with Hank from 11am until 12:15pm, giving the rest of the teachers a break until after lunch.

Soon, his small group of students assembled in front of him and waited for him to speak.

"Good morning." Logan greeted his class.

"Good morning, Mr. Logan." They chorused.

"As you guys probably know, today marks the middle of the term. Some students will switch into other classes for the rest of the semester, but only for a few days a week." He paused, watching their reactions closely. "Isabella, you'll be switching classes this mornin'." He said, looking at the young Italian woman.

"Why?" She questioned, surprised.

"You need to learn how to use your wings properly." He replied, scribbling a note on his clipboard. "You'll only be studying with me on Wednesdays and Fridays from now on."

She looked disappointed but didn't argue.

"Where should I go?"

Logan pointed to the cliff that was at the edge of the property.

"You'll be studying with Warren Worthington." He explained. "He's the one with the angel wings."

She nodded and suddenly her shoulder blades bulged. Two white, fairy-like wings erupted from her back and blood splattered on the ground. Isabella gasped in pain as her back began knitting back together around the bases of the wings.

"Go on over." Logan said as she flexed her wings. The young woman concentrated and, with some difficulty, flew towards the other group.

"We'll be gaining another student today." He told the other three students in front of him. "Casey from Katherine Pryde's group. She's a telepath, but can only read animal minds, which is why she'll be with us two days a week for the rest of the term."

As if on cue, the blonde girl jogged towards them. She was short and fairly thin. Logan also noticed she was rather pale, but he couldn't tell if it was from the jog over or not.

"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Logan." She panted as she joined the other three.

He nodded and tossed his clipboard onto the ground.

"Ok, Elizabeth, Alexandria, you'll be hunting this morning." He informed the small class. "I've secured an animal in the woods. You'll need to identify which animal I'm talking about and then go find it."

He turned his attention to Bruce and Casey.

"Bruce, you'll join Elizabeth and Alexandria." He instructed. "I'll be waiting for you three on the other side of the woods like usual. I don't want to hear you coming. Today, you'll focus on your agility in dense woods. If you three can manage to get to me without makin' any noise, you'll be able to do that anywhere. If you can't, you'll just try again tomorrow."

They nodded in understanding.

"Casey, you'll be comin' with me."

Elizabeth and Alexandria morphed into their animal forms while Bruce began to stretch.

"You've got one hour." He said, looking at his students. "Call it in as soon as you found it."

The girls nodded, gave each other a dirty glare, and then led Bruce into the woods.

"C'mon." Logan said, looking at Casey.

He led the blonde girl into the woods following a different path than his students. The path they had taken was filled with tree roots. She tripped a few times, but Logan caught her each time before she fell.

"Thank you, Mr. Logan." She said as he caught her again. Her voice was very soft but lyrical.

"Alright, here we are." He said, stepping into a clearing.

Casey followed him and looked around, confused. The clearing was empty except for a tree stump.

"Um…" She trailed off as he let out a low whistle.

"Now just stand still." Logan said over his shoulder.

Casey did as she was told and waited. Logan called out again and suddenly a large, male deer stepped into the clearing. It came right up to Logan and let out a warm breath in Logan's face.

Logan reached out his hand behind him and Casey slipped her small hand into his. He slowly led her forward until she stood right next to him and the buck watched them closely. With her hand in his, Logan pressed her palm onto the buck's neck.

"Open yer mind." He whispered to Casey.

He could feel her hand trembling under his own, but he didn't remove his hand right away. Breathing deeply, Casey's eyes closed and she concentrated on reaching out to the buck.

Logan waited another moment before stepping back. He watched the buck's eyes and was interested to see that the animal had closed its eyes once he stepped away. Casey trembled slightly and he grew concerned. Jean had assured him she could handle a deer. When they had their meeting last week, Logan suggested trying something small like a rabbit. But Jean disagreed and suggested something larger. Now that doubt he first experienced was returning.

Casey's hand slid from the buck's neck down to its body. Her breathing increased to match the buck's. She continued to walk around the animal, both hands now on its body. Suddenly, her eyes opened. Logan's concern rose again as he looked at her eyes. They were no longer the pale blue eyes she had before. The whites of her eyes were gone, replaced by a rich black color. Her irises matched and her eyes glistened in the sunlight.

Casey stood next to the deer like this for another twenty minutes. Sweat began breaking out on her forehead and her breathing became erratic. With a yelp, Casey fell back from the buck and the connection was broken. Spooked, the deer leapt back into the safety of the tree line.

Wolverine was by Casey's side in an instant.

"Are you ok?" He asked, noting her eyes had returned to normal.

"I think so. It was so weird." Casey said, more to herself than to Logan.

"I think that'll be it fer today." Logan said, crouching down next to her. "Maybe try something a little smaller next time."

Casey nodded in agreement eagerly.

"Mr. Logan?" Elizabeth's voice came over the comm. badge.

"Report." Logan instructed into the small circular disk.

"I can smell a scared goat about twenty meters ahead." She replied quickly. "Alexandria agrees with the identification."

"Excellent work." He said in return. "You have thirty minutes to meet me on the other side."

"Acknowledged." Elizabeth replied. The comm. badge went quiet and Logan stood up.

"Can you stand?"

"Yes, I think so." Casey replied. Her voice was strained and he could tell she was exhausted.

Once she stood, Logan swept her up in his arms despite her protests. Two minutes later, she was passed out in his arms as he easily found his way out of the woods.

* * *

At lunch, Elizabeth joined her teammates at their normal table. Shawn looked extremely drained and Justin was sleeping on his book bag with a forgotten lunch in front of him. Kyoko didn't look too bad, but Elizabeth could sense the girl was just as tired as Shawn. Galiana was the only one of the team who seemed perfectly rested and chipper.

"I can't wait for five o'clock." Shawn groaned, pushing his food around listlessly.

"Yeah, no kidding." Elizabeth chimed in as she sat down.

"My head is throbbing." Kyoko sighed. "I believe Mr. Wagner may be expecting a bit much from me."

Elizabeth was surprised to hear Kyoko complain. It wasn't normal for her to ever criticize the teachers.

Galiana remained quiet as she ate her large plate of food. While she wasn't tired from flying all morning, it made her extremely hungry.

"I think all of the teachers are expecting too much." Shawn said in agreement. He was rubbing his temples as he spoke.

Elizabeth didn't offer her opinion. She thought they were being pushed, true, but it was what she expected when she accepted Scott's offer to join the school.

"I'm still shocked we don't have mid-terms." Shawn said after he noticed no one was talking.

"Ja, having one exam at the end of the term vill be stressful." Galiana agreed. "I'm very concerned about that Mutant Physiology exam from Dr. McCoy."

The other three all nodded. Mutant Physiology and Biology was one of the classes that everyone in the school had. They had to take the second half next semester, assuming they passed the exam in December.

"Not to mention Aerodynamics." Elizabeth added.

"I am so glad I didn't have to take that one." Shawn said. The class was restricted to those 17 years old and above.

"We'll have it next year." Kyoko said. "I would rather take it now and get it done with."

"I'm dreading the X-Factor." Shawn groaned. "I hate genetics. I'm just not any good at it."

This was the second of three courses everyone was enrolled in. It was another course taught by Dr. McCoy and was extremely demanding. Galiana nodded in agreement with Shawn as she swallowed a bite of her sandwich.

"Ja, I have a feeling Dr. McCoy is expecting a lot from us in that class."

"I think Strategic Thinking is going to be impossible." Elizabeth said, sipping her soda. "Mr. Summers is a hard teacher."

"I'm looking forward to the second term of that class." Shawn said with a dreamy look in his eyes. "Mrs. Logan teaches that."

"I think you mean Mrs. Munroe-Logan." Elizabeth said smiling. "I've heard she gets annoyed if you don't use the whole name."

"Yeah, yeah. At least English Literature shouldn't be too difficult."

"Maybe for you, Shawn." Galiana grumbled. "I'm not very good at it."

"I don't think Calculus will be too hard." Kyoko said, popping a grape in her mouth.

"I'm afraid of the Telepathic Conditioning one." Justin said as he slowly woke up.

They all nodded. Telepathic Conditioning was the third specialized course everyone had to take the first year. Jean and Betsy taught the course together and it always left the students with headaches. It was always the last class of the day.

"Do you want to work on our Strategic Thinking homework tonight?" Shawn asked Elizabeth and Kyoko. Galiana and Justin took Fine Arts instead.

"Yeah, that scenario Mr. Summers gave us is really hard." Elizabeth answered. "I mean, trying to select a team to fight Magneto is tough enough, but to have it set on an asteroid? Like that would ever happen! Where does he come up with these things?"

The others laughed in agreement.

"Well, it happened t'us about four years ago." Logan replied, suddenly appearing behind Shawn. He looked slightly amused at their shocked expressions.

"Hi, Mr. Logan." Justin said while the others looked thoroughly embarrassed.

"Bell." Logan said one second before the lunch bell chimed. The kids looked at him, impressed. "Best get going. McCoy won't thank you for being late t'his class."

"Right."

"We'll see you later, Mr. Logan."  
"Bye!"

Logan chuckled as he watched them haphazardly grab their books, collect their trash and dash from the cafeteria, tossing their trash in a can as they rushed out.

* * *

A/N 2: I love figuring out the little details behind stories, so I just thought I'd share the following with you guys. I sat down last night and tried to figure out what their schedule could possibly look like, since I'm talking about all sorts of different classes in this chapter. I'm not counting the first three as classes, since they don't get tested in that stuff like they do for the other courses. Anyways, this is what I came up with…

Mon/Wed/Fri

7:00 – 8:00 Strength and Muscle Training

8:15 – 9:45 Power Training

10:00 – 10:45 Self Defense (optional)

11:15 – 12:00 English Literature

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 1:45 The X-Factor

2:00 – 3:15 Mutant Physiology and Biology

3:45 – 4:30 Telepathic Conditioning

Tues/Thurs

7:00 – 7:45 Strength and Muscle Training

8:00 – 9:30 Power Training

9:45 – 11:00 Self Defense (optional)

11:15 – 12:30 Elective – Aerodynamics (17+ only) or Mutants in Current Affairs

12:30 – 1:30 Lunch

1:45 – 3:00 Elective – Strategic Thinking or Fine Arts

3:15 – 4:30 Mathematics – Fundamentals in Mathematics or Calculus

Sat/Sun - Punishment

8:00 – 12:00 Danger Room Exercises

Ok, so that's how much of a geek I am! I dunno if anyone else will think this stuff is kinda interesting, but I thought I'd post it just to see if I got any positive responses.

So, what did you guys think of this chapter? I know it's not written in the exact same way the other chapters have been. I just wanted to toss in some lesson stuff, but I won't be focusing on this that much in the future. I just thought it would be good to remind everyone that these kids have hectic schedules and all that.

Please review!

PAF

Jubes


	16. Jubilation

A/N: I have finally climbed out from under my rock. Here's the next installment after a very very very long time (as usual). Thanks to my recent reviewers, for you guys motivated me!

* * *

PART 16: Jubilation

Elizabeth excelled at most of her studies, except in her Self Defense class. Logan began to notice her reluctance to fight her fellow students in the class sparring sessions once a few more punches were introduced to the students. It was tickling something in the back of his brain, but he couldn't put a finger on it.

His eyes roamed over the rest of the class. Today, he had Kitty's group and his own. He had partnered them with people from the other team to get used to the variety that other fighters could display. Granted, they were all using the same methods – the ones he and Betsy had been teaching – but each person chose a different move under the same conditions. It was what made these sparring sessions worthwhile, in his estimation.

Kitty's students were mostly on the older side, two eighteen year olds, two nineteen year olds and one fifteen year old. His own students were slightly younger mostly, but the groups worked well together. So far, her team, Delta Squadron, worked the best with his own Omega Squadron during these sessions.

Cyclops had decided that the term 'squadron' more accurately reflected the groups of students, so it wasn't "Team" Omega anymore. Logan had almost rolled his eyes during that meeting – it had been such a pointless discussion over semantics. Only One-Eye could find something wrong with "team".

" Katrina, keep your left up. " Logan instructed in Russian. While the students could all speak English thanks to Jean, he found that the foreign students still liked to hear their native tongue spoken from time to time.

Much like Kitty, Katrina Bogdanov had a passive power, so it was important that she learn how to defend herself, more so than other students. Katrina could see heat signatures, which would be helpful in the field, Logan mused, but in order to be more helpful in the field these sessions were necessary.

" Yes, Mr. Logan. " Katrina quickly replied, lifting her arm.

Elizabeth was partnered with Katrina and flinched slightly as Katrina lifted her arm up to protect her own face better. It was a quick flinch and had Logan been looking elsewhere, he would have missed it completely.

It was something he would have to discuss with the other teachers, he decided. Usually that sort of flinching meant bad news. He had noticed how badly she reacted when he had to scold the team (or squadron, he mentally groaned). Maybe some therapy sessions were in order. Maybe.

He turned his attention to Galiana and Richard Harrison, whose power was the ability to generate rather loud concussive blasts and explosions. The power manifested itself when he hit both hands together generally, but some small level of force was generated whenever his hands hit a solid surface. Logan had paired them together since Galiana's super strength should give her some level of protection from his hits.

The two sparred well, although Richard had a clear advantage. His height and larger build made his reach much larger than Galiana's reach. Happy with their progress, Logan looked over to another pair.

Shawn and Casey were paired together, more so due to their age. Shawn was sixteen and Casey was only fifteen. Both were going to need a lot of practice before they could move on to older targets. Although, Logan thought, the same could be said for any of the students right now. Shawn was more reluctant to hit Casey, but the girl had no problem hitting him. That was something he would need to work on with the students, but not today. For now, he decided to let Casey feel she was doing well against Shawn because of her abilities, not because of his manners.

Justin was paired with Chris Sanford, an older boy (or young man, Logan corrected himself) who could generate plasma blasts from his solar plexus. It was a dangerous power, much like Justin's. As a compromise for their safety and the safety of their teammates, both students wore thin metal bracelets on their wrists. They were new power dampeners that Forge recently designed for the school. While their powers were dampened, they could still access their abilities and easily remove the bracelets should they need to. Logan had argued against the idea strongly, just as he had when the semester began, but even he had to agree it was for the best until they learned to control the lower level of their powers. The incidents of him being electrocuted had dropped dramatically, which was nice, he silently admitted.

Justin was able to duck under the older boy's reach and swept Chris to the floor.

"Good work, Justin." Logan complemented as he walked by.

"Thanks, Mr. Logan!" Justin happily replied, turning to face his teacher. Chris took the opportunity to tackle Justin to the floor. Logan chuckled and moved on.

Kyoko was paired with Kitty's final student, Kenneth Daniels. It was an unfair match, but unfortunately Kyoko exceeded all of the students in self defense. Kenneth was able to land one hit or sweep for every ten of hers. It was frustrating for Kenneth but he held his temper well.

"Break!" Logan barked after watching Kyoko pummel Kenneth for another five minutes. All of the pairs broke apart and bowed. Then the ten students turned to face Logan.

"Time for a short demonstration." Logan said, cracking his neck. "Kyoko, front and center."

"Hai, Sensei." She replied obediently. The small-framed young woman stood in front of her teacher, waiting for his instruction. He could hear her heart race increase slightly in excitement.

"Alright, I'm going to show you a few joint locking maneuvers used in Jujitsu." He explained. "This is a grappling technique, something you haven't seen before. Anyone know what grappling is?"

The lesson continued for another hour. All of the students had been subjected to at least one demonstration.

"All right, that's enough fer today." Logan announced, shocked to see the hour and forty-five minute session was almost done. "We'll continue with grappling next time. Class dismissed."

* * *

Jubilee sat alone in her room, mulling over thoughts that had been annoyingly persistent since her leg was broken. Whenever she got a moment alone, her mind instantly began to swirl about the events of that day. Usually she could let things lie, but not this time. It had been weird between her and Logan since she broke her leg. He didn't really talk to her much anymore, except in Self Defense class. And even then, it was usually an order and not a conversation. They had stopped their weekly katana lessons, too, and that had really annoyed her. Just because she had a cast didn't mean she couldn't at least listen and watch a lesson or two.

And the thing she kept returning to was the whole "dad" thing. It was the only thing that could have happened to make Logan uncomfortable, she realized. Jubilation certainly remembered talking to Logan and calling him dad, not once but twice. It had seemed perfectly normal and natural to her in that moment. However, the more she thought about it, the more it bothered her. Logan wasn't her father nor did she honestly see him as a father figure. Sighing, Jubilee couldn't place a title on him other than friend or partner. He was patient with her and treated her like the adult she was becoming. He didn't baby her and never doubted her abilities in the Danger Room or field. His strength and guidance were something Jubilee had come to expect over the years. Staring out of the window, she thought _Weren't those the things that made men good fathers? Knowing when to offer guidance or a shoulder to cry on? Knowing when to praise and when to yell?_

It also didn't help that Logan was her legal guardian. He had been proud to sign the papers once Charles passed on. It was a topic they never talked about, she mused, but Logan had told her he was happy to do it. Now, however, he was weirded out and it was all her fault.

Frustrated, Jubilee decided it was time to go talk to the man.

* * *

"Jeannie, I'm tellin' you, yer pushing Casey too hard." Logan said, his left hand propped on his hip while he was leaning up against the window pane with the other. He was talking to Jean over his shoulder, keeping his eyes on the students tackling each other below. It was the start of November and the students had been playing "no powers" football on the weekends.

"While I appreciate your concern, Logan, I know what I'm doing. While Casey may be in Kitty's group, Kitty has trusted me to train the girl in her telepathic abilities. You should be able to do the same." Jean said, for what felt like the thirtieth time. They stood in silence for a long pause before Jean spoke again. "Hank said she synched with the animal perfectly, which is an amazing breakthrough."

"Is that why her eyes changed?" He asked, glancing at her briefly.

"He believes so, yes."

"Well that's all fine and good that she was able to connect, but it left her exhausted."

"Which will lessen with time."

Logan sighed. They had been having the same argument since he carried the sleeping girl to the Medical Lab three days ago.

"Look, you and Kitty are askin' me t'help train this girl." Logan finally said. "I'll only push her as far as I think is safe. If you want her pushed harder, find someone else t'do it."

He pushed away from the window and walked towards the office door.

"Logan, that's not entirely fair." Jean said, her brow furrowed in annoyance.

"Since when I have been a fair guy?" He replied, closing the door behind him.

As Logan turned from the office, he saw Jubilee standing a few feet away with a determined look on her face.

"Jean's free." Logan jerked his thumb towards the office before striding by her.

"I wasn't looking for Jean." Jubilation replied, falling into step with him.

Logan looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, you've been pretty much ignoring me since I broke my leg." She began, keeping her voice somewhat low. "I know I said some weird shit, and I'm sorry if that freaked you out, but this is just getting ridiculous."

"Watch yer mouth." He automatically said.

"Oh please."

Logan 'hmphed' in response but continued to walk up the stairs, Jubilee hot on his heels. Well, she followed him as quickly as should could. The cast had been removed yesterday and her leg was extremely weak.

"Will you please wait up?" She finally growled at him.

"I'm late fer a lesson." He replied over his shoulder. "Whatever this is, it can wait until later."

"No, it can't!" Jubilee said angrily. "And you don't have a lesson right now! As if I don't know your flamin' schedule by now! Honestly, it's a Saturday and you've already finished with your Danger Room session. I saw your group outside, walking back to their dorms!"

Logan's step faltered then, knowing he had no response.

"Jesus, Logan, just what the hell did I do?" Jubilee asked once she finally stood in front of him. He almost cringed at her use of his real name. It always meant she was steamed about something and it was usually something he did. "It's been six weeks and I've barely got a 'Hey, kid, how's it goin' from you!"

Holding back a deep sigh, Logan knew it was time they had a serious conversation.

* * *

"So that's that." Logan finally said, flipping a stone across the top of the pond. Jubilee sat by his side on the dock, staring at the fish below her feet.

Jubilation leaned forward and held her hands apart slightly. A few blue and yellow swirls of plasma danced between her fingers as she let Logan's words roll around in her mind. Ororo couldn't have children, not without inhibiting her powers for the full gestation period. That simply wasn't practical with the way they lived their lives.

"Well, what about me?" Jubilee finally asked, still watching her fireworks as they played through her fingers.

"What about you, kid?" Logan asked.

"Don't play stupid." She said in annoyance. "I'll be your surrogate."

"I'm not askin' ya to."

"I know." Jubilee said, finally looking at Logan as her fireworks popped. "That's why I'm telling you I'll do it. It isn't an offer, it just is."

Logan looked at Jubilee and saw the glint of stubbornness he knew all too well. Her mind was made up and nothing he could say would change that.

"Guess this means I'll tell Ororo tonight."

Jubilee's face almost split in two with her smile and she lunged herself at Logan, laughing. He caught her easily and his laugh came from deep within his chest.

"I totally thought you would fight me!" She admitted as she leaned back from him with a ridiculous grin lighting up her face.

"I know that look." He said easily. "It's the same look you gave me when you wanted t'learn how t'ride my bike, among other things."

Jubilation slid back and her hand fell to her abdomen.

"A baby, huh?" She finally said, smirking. "Guess this means I'll be off active duty for a while."

Logan chuckled. "Guess so."

"Awesome."

He shook his head in amusement, but didn't remind her that she would still be going to classes, which he (and everyone else) knew she hated.

"Screw tonight. Let's go tell Ororo now!" Jubilation said as she jumped up and pulled on his hand. Logan couldn't help but be reminded of Jubilee's thirteen-year old self as she pulled him towards the house.

* * *

A/N: R&R please! I'm working on the next chapter and I have a few more ideas, so my muse has definitely come back to me!

-Jubes


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